


In Every Possible Way

by Mellojelllo



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, mute!Blaine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-07-24 21:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20021251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellojelllo/pseuds/Mellojelllo
Summary: Kurt Hummel dreams about the day that he’ll get out of Cow Town, Ohio and meet the man who’s name is etched in his palm, his soulmate. But everything changes when a debonair yet silent and inscrutable boy walks into his English class in the middle of the year, and Kurt makes it his mission to figure him out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this! It’s my first Klaine fic, and I’m really excited to share it.

Prologue

On the fortnight following one's 16th birthday, a name was slated to appear on the love line of one’s palm. It would be scrawled in the bearer of said name’s handwriting, and it would be in their favorite color. According to most sources, it didn’t hurt when it appeared. They say it feels pleasant and warm, like holding a cup of hot chocolate after being out in the snow. Specialists really had no idea how this was possible, but everyone could agree that somehow, the name was that of the bearer’s soulmate. 

Present day

Kurt stared down at his phone screen. Mr Schue was saying something, but he didn’t have it in him to pay attention, and he also just couldn’t be bothered to care.  
“What is it this time?” He thought. “Another riveting boys vs. girls lesson, where I will be forced to endure yet another 80’s rock song? A Rachel pity party because she just HAD to have the solo? Gosh, why not both?”

“Rachel, you get every solo. Maybe you should let Mercedes give it a try this time.” Ah, so it was the latter. Well, he did love some good drama. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked over at Rachel, who he figured would either cry or storm out. Kurt figured either would be interesting, although he was not one for others’ suffering. Sometimes it seemed like Rachel deserved it. Suddenly, a shout rang out from the other side of the choir room.

“Oh my god!” Tina looked as if she had just seen a ghost. It wasn’t an exasperated yell, more one of pure shock.  
“Tina, are you alright?” Mr. Shue rushed over, clearly concerned.  
“I just got my mark!” A wide grin spread across her face as she stared down at her hand. “It’s Mike.” It seemed as if the entire glee club had never seen a mark before, as they all clambered to get a good look at Tina’s hand. There, sure as can be, was “Michael Chang Jr.” messily written in navy blue. Kurt sighed. His mark-day was only 2 days away, and the wait seemed torturous. He would dream about different names appearing, especially those of celebrities.  
“Oh Mr. Keanu Reeves, I know you must get this all the time, but I’m Kurt, your soulmate!” Then he would hold out his palm, and Keanu would hold out his, and then take him in his arms, and…

“Kurt? Kurt? Hello?” He snapped back to reality as Mercedes waved her hands in front of his face. “You’ve been really out of it lately, are you ok?”  
“Yeah. It’s just that my mark’s supposed to show up really soon and I… I’m kind of nervous.” He breathed. If he were anyone else he would’ve run his fingers through his hair, but he wouldn’t dare ruin the careful styling he had done.  
“Oh honey, I’m sure whoever you get will be great. They have to be, if they’re your soulmate. If they’re not, we can be single together. My birthday isn’t for another 5 months, so you at least have that long.”

“Thanks Mercedes, you always know what to say. Sometimes I feel like we should me soulmates.” He smiled. Mercedes let out a laugh that he could tell was forced, but he chose to ignore it. He was usually pretty good at ignoring things, such as the fact that his soulmate would definitely be a man. He hadn’t told anyone, but he figured he’d put it off until the name appeared. He had considered that Taylor could be considered a girl’s name, thus granting him some (brief) plausible deniability, but came to the conclusion that the “Lautner” following it would probably give it away.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••  
Kurt drifted through his next classes, half awake and half in daydream-land. This school was so easy that it really didn’t matter if he paid full attention anyways. He found himself in his Navigator, although he hardly remembered the journey there. He daydreamed on his ride home, (almost running a red light), he daydreamed while he did his homework, he daydreamed during dinner, and in the shower. The only time he wasn’t daydreaming was when he was actually dreaming.  
“Keanu and Taylor, I know I have both of your names and you both have mine, but I cannot choose. I know you’ve fallen head over heels in love for me, but I think we all know that you are meant for each other…” He woke with a start when his dad came into the room saying something about eggs and brunch. 

“Something wrong, bud?” Burt sat on the edge of the bed. It seemed like everyone was always asking Kurt if he was okay, or if something was wrong. Was he really that transparent?  
“I get my mark today.” He shrugged, acting as if he didn’t feel like he was going to die in the 7 hours he had to wait for it to even begin to appear. It was two weeks after his 16th birthday, and he knew it would start to fade in at the time of his birth. He was born at 4 PM, which meant an entire morning and half an afternoon of just waiting and staring at his hands. It also meant that in 7 hours he’d be out to his dad, whether he liked it or not.  
“You know, soulmates are important. You know that your mom and I were real close, and I don’t think I was the same after we lost her. When Carole’s name showed up, I was thrilled that I’d get a second chance. But Kurt, you are still your own person once you’ve found your soulmate. You’re two halves of a whole, and without half it can’t work. Don’t throw yourself around like you don’t matter. You matter, Kurt.” Before he could respond, Burt pulled him into a tight hug. As he pulled away, Kurt looked down at his hands again.  
“Don’t be too long kid, I’m ready for breakfast and Finn isn’t waking up anytime soon!” his dad chuckled and exited the room, leaving Kurt dumbstruck.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
3:55 pm  
Kurt thought he was going to explode. This was cruel and unusual punishment brought upon by the universe to make his life, specifically, miserable. 5 minutes until he could see who he would be bonded to for the rest of his entire life. 5 minutes before he was out to his dad, and depending on if he wore gloves the next day, the glee club and consequently the rest of his school. He stared at his hands, his mind racing.  
“What if they fall off right now? Where would the mark go? What if I literally die at 3:59? What if I don’t get a soulmate? What if my soulmate is a woman? What if my soulmate has a really terrible name like Penis Mann or something? What if…” 

3:58 pm  
His dad looked at him from across the kitchen.  
“Need anything buddy?”  
“No, dad, I need these next 2 minutes to be over so I can see who I’m going to fall in love with and then go read vogue to unwind from the terrible stress I’m under.”  
He stared.  
And stared.  
And stared.

3:59 pm  
He was beginning to shake. He knew he was getting too worked up, Tina hadn’t even mentioned it until the moment it came through in glee club. Kurt wouldn't have even gone to school that day out of the fear that he’d be driving home when it would show up and he’d miss the big moment. He was really glad that his birthday was on a Sunday.

4:00 pm  
A soft heat began to spread beneath his fingers. His eyes widened. A swirling maroon pattern started to emerge from the line. He could make out a few letters, but it was incredibly faint. His heart pounded in his ears.  
“B…” he sounded out, “B… L… A…E…”  
His hand grew hotter and hotter, almost burning, but not to the point where it hurt. He looked around his kitchen one last time, took a deep breath, and glanced down once more.  
“Blaine Devon Anderson.” He whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. This was it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how late this is, I was on vacation in a different country with limited internet. I've been working on this chapter the entire time, so it's pretty long.

“Just let me see it Kurt. I’m your dad, knowing who you’re gonna be bringing over for Thanksgiving for the rest of your life is kinda important to me.” Burt lifted up his hat and rubbed his head, a nervous habit. Kurt held his fist close to his heart, residual adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He knew his dad wouldn’t care, but that little demon that lived in the back of his brain kept insisting that he would. Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and unfurled his hand out for his dad to see. He opened one eye and watched as Burt inspected the name. “Blaine Anderson. Huh. He has nice handwriting.” Kurt opened the other eye and looked at his dad with a look of pure perplexity on his face.  
“You’re not… You’re not mad that it’s a boy?” Kurt squeaked.  
“Kiddo, you and I both know that you can’t control your soulmate. Even if you could, you know I’d accept ya no matter what.” Kurt let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.  
“Thank you, dad.” With that, he turned on his heel and ran up to his room to inspect the intricacies of the name on his palm.

\---------------------------------------

The following Monday, Kurt rushed into the choir room with a grin on his face and a pep in his step. He had managed to keep his hand out of his tormentors’ sight, so his bullying remained Blaine-free. The next day he’d wear a glove, as it was standard to cover your mark in some way. It’s not like they were a secret, but it was generally par for the course to keep it covered.   
“Kurt! Let me see!” Mercedes ran over, with Rachel, Brittany, and Tina in tow. He held out his hand as they inspected it, having accepted the fact that this group wouldn’t care less if he was gay.   
“Blaine Anderson. I went there once. It was kind of cold, but I had a good time.” Brittany remarked. Kurt was only briefly phased, but went on basking in the attention. The times in which he was everyone’s focus were few and far between, so he made sure to soak it up as much as he could.   
“I, for one, think it’s lovely. I can’t wait to get my mark and leave all of this relationship drama behind me.” Rachel said.   
“You’re preaching to the choir, Stubbles.” Quinn remarked from her seat in the back of the room. Rachel huffed and took her regular seat, front and center.   
“Blaine sounds great, even if we don’t know who he really is or what he looks like. I hope you meet him soon! Every day with Mike feels like Valentine’s Day. I think everybody deserves that.” Tina gushed. Kurt agreed. Now that he knew who his soulmate was, he wanted nothing more than to fall into his embrace and… get married… or whatever you do with a soulmate.  
“What’s the commotion?” Mr. Shue interjected. “Speaking of commotion, let’s get into MOTION and start figuring out the setlist for sectionals!” Kurt groaned internally. Only 2 years until graduation…

————————————

The rest of the year and summer passed by slowly and uneventfully. Kurt lived day by day, waiting for something, _anything_ to happen. His routine was so consistent it was almost ridiculous. Wake up. Moisturize. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Go to glee club. Do homework. Eat dinner. Brush teeth. Moisturize. Rinse, and repeat. During the summer it was the same, but he’d work in the garage instead of going to school and glee. He felt himself fading into mundanity, in which his only real excitement was what outfit he was going to wear that day and what the latest glee assignment or drama was. Every now and then, he wondered what his soulmate was up to. Was he just as bored? was he scuba diving in Fiji? Writing a sonnet to express his love for Kurt? Or was he…

Walking into English class, another part of Kurt’s routine. He quite enjoyed his American Lit. (Honors!) class, unlike many of the others he was required to take for junior year. He sat down in his assigned seat in the front of the room. Ms. Perreit had left an empty seat next to him to place her papers for the lesson, so he had ample room for his satchel. He pulled out The Great Gatsby, and set it lightly over the scrawled “fuck scool” etched deeply into the tawny plastic of his desk. He expected Ms. Perreit to instruct him to to take out a piece of paper and something to write with in order to write a paragraph analyzing a given character’s action in the homework reading (a usual occurrence), but when he looked up at her he saw that she was standing by the door talking to some boy he’d never seen before. Generally, when you’ve gone to school with the same people since middle school, or at the very least freshman year, you can recognize pretty much all of your grade. He could say with 98% certainty that he had never seen that guy before.  
Kurt watched as the boy handed the teacher a typed note. She read it carefully, and placed a hand on his shoulder and said something Kurt couldn’t quite hear. The boy nodded, and turned sharply on his heels. Before Kurt could register what was happening, the boy was settling into the desk next to him. He took the moment to take in his appearance and subconsciously categorize him on his scale of “harmless gay” to “Azimio-esque bully that will literally murder him the second Ms. Perriet looks away”. However, his scan was coming up blank. Would a straight boy wear a bow tie like that? Maybe.  
“Hi, I’m Kurt.” He turned to the boy and held out his hand to shake. He returned the handshake and smiled back, but didn’t introduce himself. Kurt noticed something in his smile, as if it was forced. It didn’t extend to his eyes, the biggest tell. It looked more like the memory of a smile than the thing itself. Kurt looked away, slightly shaken.   
“I’m going to pass out the guidelines and due dates for your next assignment. This is a partner project, so just work with your neighbor” Ms. Perriet ordered. Kurt very quickly realized that he wasn’t going to be paired with whoever had an absent partner as he usually was, but instead the new kid. “Please read along. This project is about the prevalence of soulmates in classic and modern literature. We’ve seen it clearly illustrated in works like Romeo and Juliet, but we should also see where it appears in the kind of books we’re reading.” The teacher explained. Kurt looked over the paper and say that the final draft was due in over 3 months, on February 14th. How fitting. The teacher further elaborated on the due dates and what the project entailed, and gave them 10 minutes of work time before the end of class. Kurt was excited, as soulmates were always a point of interest for him.   
“I guess we’re partners.” Kurt said quietly. The boy just nodded. He swept a hand over his dark hair, which Kurt noted was glued to his scalp with a lustrous layer of gel.  
“Kurt, may I speak to you for a moment?” Ms. Perriet called. He nervously strutted over to her desk. “Your partner for this project isn’t going to be doing much talking. He should still be able to write, though, so you shouldn’t have too much of a problem.” Kurt nodded. Just his luck, getting stuck with someone who apparently wasn’t regularly using English for his English project. He returned to his desk and turned to the boy again.  
“So, when do you want to get started? I’ll give you my phone number, so we can text about plans.”  
————————————

As it turns out, working with someone who doesn’t speak on a project is so much harder than it looks. Not to mention that the boy never put his name on anything, and he also didn’t tell it to Kurt. They sat in the public library that Saturday, working in one-sided silence.  
“Did you read to page 100?” nod. “Does this make sense?” nod. “Can I see your notes?” nod. “Wow, that’s insightful. You write like you’re a rich man in the 1920’s.” Weak smile, shrug, nod. Kurt noticed that he always kept 1 earbud in.   
“What are you listening to?” Kurt asked, knowing he wasn’t going to get a real response. He just wanted to talk about something other than english. The boy grabbed his other earbud and offered it to Kurt. He put it in his ear, and registered the soft sound of Queen’s _Killer Queen_. “Ooh, Queen, good choice.” He subconsciously looked at the boy to check his reaction, and thought he caught a genuine smile. Less ghostly, more warm. The most poignant thing, though, was the eye contact. He felt like he was staring into an auriferous forest, and it seemed to last for hours (though, it was only a few seconds in reality). There was a strange pull on his chest, as if the other boy had tied a velvet rope around his heart and was tugging it towards himself. He looked away quickly and yanked at his glove. There was no point in getting involved in silly relationships if he had his mark, unless he wanted to get hurt.   
“So…” Kurt said much quieter than he had intended, “let’s look for proof that George and Lennie would’ve had each other’s names.” nod. “You know, you seem pretty into music. You should come to a glee rehearsal. They’re just after school, you can come at 3:30 on Monday and talk to Mr. Shuester. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to have you, even if you just sway in the background like the rest of us.” Kurt decided that he was going to start calling the boy “Bowtie”, since calling him “him” was getting confusing.

————————————

When Bowtie bounded into the room on Monday and handed Mr. Shue what seemed to be the same note that he’d given Ms. Perreit, Kurt was the only one who didn’t look visibly confused. Mr. Shue’s expression softened, and he whispered something incomprehensible to him while the rest of the glee club looked on.  
“Who is that?” Rachel shouted.   
“He’s in my English class, but I don’t know his name.” Kurt replied, leaving out that they were partners, that they had experienced what could only be described as a ‘moment’ together, and that he’d never spoken a word.  
“He’s cute. If I wasn’t madly in love with Finn, and he wasn’t my soulmate, I might date him. You should see if he’s… y’know…” Kurt was about to respond with some kind of biting remark when he was interrupted by the squealing of the piano bench being pushed back, and Bowtie sitting on it. He could only stare when he began playing the piano shockingly well, and when the full band joined in. Adele’s “I’ll Be Waiting”. Kurt knew the song like the back of his hand (or rather, the front), as it had been one of his go-to’s while he fantasized about Blaine Anderson. He would picture their meeting, formulating different scenarios based on his current life happenings. They could be cast opposite each other in a romance musical for the ages, or they could be in the same class in college, or Blaine could rescue Kurt from drowning at the beach and have to do mouth to mouth, the list goes on. 

“Hold me closer one more time  
Say that you love me in your last goodbye  
Please forgive me for my sins  
Yes, I swam dirty waters but you pushed me in  
I've seen your face under every sky  
Over every border and on every line  
You know my heart more than I do  
We were the greatest, me and you

But we had time against us and miles between us  
The heavens cried, I know I left you speechless  
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue  
And I see my future in you

I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again  
I'll put my hands up  
I'll do everything different, I'll be better to you  
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again  
I'll put my hands up  
I'll be somebody different, I'll be better to you.”   
And oh god, that voice. Kurt felt like he was being drenched in honey with every word that came out of the boy’s mouth. How could someone never say a word but sing like that? Despite the upbeat nature of the song, it was dripping with emotion. He was such high energy, tapping his brown dress shoes and tossing his head around. His hair didn’t budge because of the copious amounts of gel in it, but if it was product-free it would certainly be wild after the performance. Although Kurt had only known him for a week, he’d never seen Bowtie that lively. He granted him the appropriate standing O., and ran over to praise him.  
“That was incredible!” He expected a ‘thanks’ or something, since he knew his mouth was capable of making sounds. However, he was granted a glowing smile instead. Not the worst response, but definitely not what he wanted.   
“That was lovely. What was your inspiration for that song? I find that I can most easily go to a place like that when I have a real motivation.” Rachel asked. Bowtie pointed to his left hand, which was covered with a thin, navy, plaid fingerless glove.   
“That’s so sweet. Have you found her yet?” Tina interjected. Bowtie shrugged.   
“What does that mean? It’s kind of a yes or no question.” Santana squinted at him. He shrugged again. “What’s your deal?” Even if he wasn’t speaking, he looked incredibly uncomfortable.  
“Alright, back off you guys. Just because we’re a family doesn’t mean that he’s adjusted to that dynamic yet,” Mercedes interrupted. “Don’t pay them any mind. Welcome to glee club!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter! I recommend listening to the songs that I've put in here in full while you read. I didn't add all of the lyrics, just the significant ones, but the songs are just really good.

Kurt awoke with a start from what was possibly the strangest nightmare he’d ever had. In the nightmare, he’d started in a weird mash-up of the choir room and his bedroom. The glee club consisted of Bowtie, Stoner Brett, Karofsky and Azimio (though neither would appear in his field of vision at the same time), Rachel, Mercedes, Tina, Ms. Pillsbury (who was, somehow, now a student), Finn, neck brace cheerio, and himself. They needed to find a 12th member for sectionals, so they went to Downtown Cleveland to find one. This was all dream logic, he couldn’t figure out for the life of him why they would do such a thing in the light of day. They had determined that they were going to sing Mitski’s “A Loving Feeling”, because that was what he’d been listening to while he was asleep. Dream-Kurt really wanted a solo, but Ms. Pillsbury had gotten it instead. Things kept interfering with their ability to perform, and Dream-Kurt was getting really frustrated. Bowtie kept making out with Stoner Brett, which was the most upsetting part of the dream. It wasn’t because Kurt was in love with him or anything (since he was waiting for his soulmate!), but it was just something he’d never wanted to see or imagine. He didn’t really want to imagine anything with Stoner Brett. At one point, Dream-Kurt lost his glove and the name on his palm kept disappearing and changing color. He kept crying, and couldn’t stop. When he woke up, there were tears in his real eyes, which was just kind of confusing. 

“What do you do with a loving feeling  
If the loving feeling makes you all alone?  
What do you do with a loving feeling  
If they only love you when you're all alone?”   
Kurt sang to himself as he got his breakfast. The song from his dream was stuck in his head.   
“Those are some sad lyrics Kurt. You doing okay? Anything you want to tell me?” His dad shuffled in.   
“No, I’m fine. That song was in my dream last night.” He said, grabbing his whole wheat bread from the toaster. It burned his fingers a little, but he didn’t really care.   
“What’s it called?”  
“‘ _A Loving Feeling_ by Mitski. Santana recommended her music, and I fell asleep listening to it.” He declined to mentioned that he’d added it to his hundred-song-long “Soulmate Yearning Where Are You Blaine Anderson” playlist. He was glad his dad was interested in his music. It was something they could connect through, even if they didn’t necessarily have the same taste.   
“Huh. Sounds interesting. I’m gonna scramble some eggs.” Kurt quickly finished his toast and ran up to his room to get dressed and style his hair. After he’d sprayed his hair into the perfect soft coiff, he went put on his outfit. He’d preselected it the day before; a lovely floral button down with ruffles on the shoulders (that he’d added himself) that was to be tucked into the high waist of his dark green skinny jeans. He knew he was going against everything he stood for when he invested in a high waisted pant, but they soon became one of his favorite things to wear. He thought they made him look extra tall and skinny. He kind of felt like Jack Skellinton, but in a good way. He tied on a plastic hollow bow tie that contained some fishing line with little yellow birds suspended on it so that it looked like they were standing on telephone wire. It was one of his favorites, and he’d been more careful about what bow ties he wore ever since he’d started working on that english project with the boy himself. He was so damn dapper, Kurt half expected him to show up with a full barbershop quartet in tow some days. He flipped the page closed in his outfit croquis book, smiling contently. He was practicing his fashion drawing by detailing his own outfits. This was a good one. He grabbed his satchel, delicately walked down the stairs, and headed to his car. 

————————————

“Remember that your rough drafts are due this Thursday, along with your notes.” Ms. Perriet said as the bell rang. Kurt shoved his book in his bag and looked over at Bowtie, who seemed sad about something. Although, he always seemed sad when he wasn’t singing. This time, though, it seemed like he was actually about to burst into tears. Usually it was less obvious. Ms. Perriet had taken to calling him “B”, which wasn’t really any help to Kurt considering “Bowtie” also started with a B. Kurt noticed that nobody said his full name, and he’d asked around glee club to see if any of them knew it. They didn’t. He also typed everything, never hand-writing his assignments. Kurt wasn’t sure if this had anything to do with the not talking or the name things.   
_Maybe he had some kind of disability or mental illness? That would explain the note and most of the other stuff too. But it wouldn’t explain the singing, or how he dressed and wrote like he was about to march right out of the old folks’ home to get his senior discount at the diner (in a cute way)._ Kurt thought. He silently berated himself for thinking about his english partner that way. That’s all he was, an english partner. An english partner with magnetic eyes and a beautiful voice. _No! Just an english partner! Not your soulmate!_.  
“Hey.” Kurt greeted. “So, I was thinking we could work on the project at my house today instead of at the library? Just to clean up some loose ends. My dad will be at work until 7, my stepmom will be working pretty late too, and Finn will be at football practice. When he gets home he’ll just steal away into his room and play violent video games, so he shouldn’t bother us too much.” Bowtie tilted his head questioningly. At least he looked less sad now. Kurt didn’t know what exactly he was asking about, so he figured he’d just clarify what most people didn’t understand. “Finn and I are step brothers. We can listen to music out loud and sing along, and I fancy myself a good cook, so when we’re done we can bake or something.” Kurt smiled hopefully. Bowtie nodded, pulled out his phone, and sent a text that said  
“Address?” Kurt could barely contain his excitement. Even though it wasn’t out loud, they were carrying some kind of conversation.   
“I can just drive you. Let’s meet up in front of the choir room after glee.” Bowtie nodded and walked away. Kurt left shortly after, practically floating to his locker. His moment of bliss was interrupted by Rachel’s obnoxiously loud animal sweater entering his sight.  
“What’s going on with that guy who just joined glee? I saw you two talking.” Rachel prodded.  
“We’re partners for our english project. I kind of have to talk to him. Doesn’t mean he talks back, though.” Kurt replied with a little more bite than intended.  
“Does that mean you know his name? I asked him, and he just shook his head at me. Then, I asked Mr. Shue, but he told me to ‘just ask him’”.   
“Nope. I’ve been calling him Bowtie in my head, but Ms. Perriet calls him ‘B’”.   
“‘B’. Well, at least that’s something. Thanks Kurt, I’ll see you at lunch!” She pranced away, allowing him to grab his history textbook and head to class. 

History class passed by quickly, as he endured a lecture about the American Revolution and which racist guy in a wig shot which gun and blah blah blah. What was with Junior year and America? He left the classroom as usual, ready to head to lunch. However, it seemed that the universe had other plans. Or rather, Karofsky had other plans. He felt the hard metal of the lockers before he registered what had happened, and all he could do was clench his teeth and bear it. This time his shoulder blade had collided directly with one of the handles, and as he slid down he felt a hot pain in the spot. He was worried that he might be bleeding on his nice shirt, so he ran into the bathroom. When he arrived, he quickly spun around in the mirror to inspect the damage. Thankfully, his shirt was fine. He didn’t know what was going on underneath it, and he really didn’t want to. Call it Shrodinger’s Injury. If you hide the bruise under the shirt, there’s a probability there won't be one at all. It was highly unlikely though, based on the splitting pain every time he moved his shoulder. He hoped that it hadn’t been fractured (or worse), because then he’d have to tell his dad, which would open a can of worms that he really wasn’t ready to face. No, more like a kayak of worms. He slowly exited the bathroom, careful to avoid use of his arm. Luckily, it was his left arm, so he used it less in the first place. He sighed and headed to the cafeteria, ready to put this whole mess behind him. 

“Kurt! Where were you?” Rachel called, once she spotted him with his tray full of Mysterious Grey Chunks and Lettuce.  
“I had to… uh…” He tried to think of a lie that wouldn’t warrant any concern or have future consequences. “I had to print an assignment in the library. My printer at home is broken.” That would have to work.  
“Printers are always broken when you need them.” Artie commented.   
“I know. They’re, like, the worst piece of technology.” Tina agreed.   
“This might be the most boring conversation we’ve ever had.” Santana said,  
rolling her eyes. Kurt sighed internally. They’d bought his lie, and also hadn’t noticed that he’d just been crying. He wondered if his soulmate could feel his pain, since he’d heard that was possible after you got your mark. He scanned the table to see if anybody else looked suspicious, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Correction: He saw one thing out of the ordinary. Bowtie was looking up at him, and it seemed like he’d managed to make his eyes 100x bigger and shinier. They looked like they held every imaginable human emotion in them, but they always did. At that moment, they seemed to be welling over with concern and worry so concentrated that it burned Kurt’s throat. Mercedes side-eyed him, but quickly returned to “listening” to Rachel rant about how few solos she had for sectionals. He sat on the uncomfortable red bench and set his tray down, attempting to keep his eyes focused anywhere but Bowtie. He felt that if he got pulled into his eyes he might never get out again. But, like a magnet and… well… another magnet, he couldn’t resist. Thankfully, Bowtie’s eyes were focused on his food. Kurt watched him reach his right arm across his chest, and rub a familiar spot on his back. He put one of the grey chunks in his mouth and immediately spit it out, face wrinkling in disgust. Kurt couldn’t help but giggle, which caused him to giggle too. His laugh was warm, and Kurt felt an odd and unfamiliar sensation when he heard it. It was kind of comforting, like his chest was being wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. The others looked at them for a moment, clearly having missed the little scene. Mercedes furrowed her brow. He knew he was going to get confronted later, and prepared his response. It was the same one he told Rachel when she’d asked.  
“ _No, we’re not together. No, I don’t know his name._ ”

————————————

At least it happened before Glee club rather than after, so Bowtie wouldn’t be waiting for him.   
“What’s going on with you and B?”   
“Nothing.”  
“Then what happened at lunch today?  
“The food was bad, so he spit it out. It was funny, so I laughed.”  
“Okay. But what about the staring? He was staring at you like you’d just promised him the whole world.” Oh god. He was? What?   
“He was?” Kurt breathed. He hadn’t meant to say that.  
“It was really sweet, Kurt. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were his soulmate.” She laughed with a wink.   
“Don’t be ridiculous, ‘Cedes. I think he’d tell me.” Would he?  
“He doesn’t really tell anyone much of anything.” Kurt felt as if he was on the precipice of something huge when Mr. Shue burst into the room, disturbing his train of thought and causing him to lose whatever he had almost found. 

“New music!” He proclaimed, grabbing his whiteboard marker and squeaking the words onto the board. “Sometimes, we get so focused on familiar songs that we don’t branch out. This week, I want you to sing a song from an artist that you hadn’t heard until really recently. Bonus points if you choose something that you can really connect with, not just a new hit on the radio.” Kurt knew exactly what he was going to sing. Kurt silently thanked Santana for introducing him to Mitski a few days prior, so that he didn’t really have to do any work.   
“Mr. Shue, I think I have something I could sing.” He said. “Santana made me listen to her music, and I really connected with this song in particular.”   
“Go for it, Kurt!” He stood up and told Brad his selection, and then leaned on the piano as he waited for the music to start. It was First Love / Late Spring. 

“But I find that lately I've been crying like a tall child  
So please hurry leave me, I can't breathe   
Please don't say you love me   
胸がはち切れそうで  
One word from you and I would jump off of this ledge I'm on, baby.  
Tell me ‘don't’ so I can crawl back in.”

He’d google-translated the japanese, and found that it essentially meant “my chest is about to burst”. He finished the song, feeling weirdly exposed. He wasn’t sure if the others would pick up the meaning, but it was shockingly relevant to how he felt. He didn’t even know that _was_ how he felt until the song popped into his head after his conversation with Mercedes. When he sang the last line, he looked at Bowtie for some kind of response. For the first time, though, he seemed entirely unreadable. He was smiling like he did for everybody’s performances, clapping enthusiastically. However, instead of sitting back down like everyone else, he left the risers and handed a small piece of paper to Brad, who then passed it to the band. Kurt sat down in his seat, fascinated. Another song that he recognized began to play. Funnily enough, it was a Mitski song as well. Why not just call it Mitski week, Mr. Shue? Kurt wondered if he’d been prompted by his choice, or if Santana had pressured him to listen too. 

“You're growing tired of me  
You love me so hard and I still can't sleep  
You're growing tired of me  
And all the things I don't talk about  
Sorry, I don't want your touch  
It's not that I don't want you  
Sorry, I can't take your touch  
It's just that I fell in love with a war  
And nobody told me it ended  
And it left a pearl in my hand  
And I roll it around  
Every night, just to watch it glow  
Every night, baby, that's where I go  
Sorry, I don't want your touch  
It's not that I don't want you  
Sorry, I can't take your touch  
There's a hole that you fill  
You fill, you fill.”

Wow. It was kind of a direct response. No, that’s exactly what it was. He felt like ripping off his glove and waving his palm in the boy’s face, saying _you’re not my soulmate, stop making me feel this way_. But he didn’t since he was polite, and not about to stoop to Rachel Berry levels of dramatic. This would not be his Run Joey Run. He stood up and clapped like everyone else, but he felt like he might literally explode. As in, he had no idea how he was going to let this boy get in his car and go to his HOME, where he LIVES, and work on their english project like they hadn’t just had some kind of weird important conversation through Mitski song in front of the entire glee club, or like he hadn’t gotten a particularly nasty injury that he really needed to look at. Kurt normally wasn’t one of the ones who sang for drama. He preferred to witness it rather than be involved, and this was just so WEIRD. They’d known each other for a few weeks, but all of those weeks consisted of Kurt talking at him about english.   
“Great job boys. Take note everyone, and prepare your songs for the rest of the week.” Mr. Shue said, seemingly oblivious to Kurt’s internal turmoil and how much this was feeding the rest of the glee club’s vampiric hunger for drama. Kurt approached Bowtie, and examined his expression. He decided there was no point in trying to figure anything out here.   
“Let’s go to my car.” Kurt suggested. Bowtie nodded, and they moved silently to the parking lot. B climbed into the passenger side, and Kurt looked for music to play on the short ride over. He decided on a ‘Broadway’s Greatest Hits’ playlist, and set the volume lower than it had to be. It’s not like they were going to talk about anything. It was quiet enough for him to hear a sound when they were around halfway there. He passed it off as a weird car sound, but it came again.

“Kur…” Bowtie nearly whispered. It definitely wasn’t singing, and it looked purposeful. Kurt’s mind was racing again. Maybe he only spoke one of those clicking languages and that’s why he had no idea what his name was, or why he wouldn’t say anything, or why he was so hot. Well, maybe not that last one. Where did that even come from? He’d also nonverbally responded to Kurt’s statements and written wonderfully in class, so he most likely understood english. Or, god, was he choking? He wasn’t even eating! Kurt could only remember how to do baby CPR from that red cross babysitting class he’d taken, and he wasn’t sure if it would work on a teenage boy in a moving car that he was driving.   
“Are you okay? Do you need me to pull over?” Kurt asked once he finally got his head together (and stopped thinking about baby CPR). Bowtie nodded, and then shook his head. Kurt figured that meant that he was okay, and that he didn’t need to pull over. “Well, if you’re gonna get carsick or die just let me know.”   
Bowtie did not get carsick or die, or need baby CPR performed on him. They made it to Kurt’s door without incident, but he really didn’t know how he was going to survive the entire work session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has left comments and kudos on this story! It's been doing so much better than I ever thought it would, considering glee hasn't made any new content in like 4 years. I don't really have a consistent upload schedule planned, so new chapters will just come out whenever I feel inspired. Luckily, that was pretty soon after I wrote the last one for this one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was dealing with some major writer's block, but I think this chapter managed to turn out okay. I start school this week, so updates will probably be a lot less frequent. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this fic!

This weird tension flooded the room, like something fragile was hanging in the balance and any slight movement would make it snap. It had been slowly developing throughout the car ride, but sitting on Kurt’s bed seemed to make it inches away from its apogee. They were both on their laptops, but they were so close together. So, so close together. On Kurt’s bed. Where he slept. Now, it’s not like there was anything remotely romantic or sexual about the way they were sitting, but it just felt different than it normally did. It could’ve been because of their ‘conversation’ in glee club, which was really just all too public and very out of character, or something else. Their gloves created an unknown, and their tongues tinged with the taste of words unspoken. Well, in Bowtie’s case, pretty much every word was unspoken. 

All Kurt wanted to do was talk with him. Talk about anything in words that were their own, not written by someone else and then sung because they _sort of_ pertained to their specific situation. It wasn’t like he didn’t love singing his feelings, he was in glee club after all. It’s just that sometimes, he needed to ask a question that had more than a yes or no answer about their english project. Sometimes, it wasn’t even that. He knew that Bowtie wouldn’t ask for water if he was thirsty, a snack if he was hungry, or where the bathroom was. It was really hard to be a good host if he didn’t know what his guest needed, or if his guest felt like the air in the room was _really_ thick all of a sudden. He also knew that if he spontaneously pulled off his shirt and asked, “hey, how bad is the bruise on my back? It fucking hurts,” he wouldn’t get a straight answer. Although, he wasn’t sure if anyone would answer that right away, as it was a really weird thing to do. As if on cue, Bowtie rubbed his own shoulder again. It was like he was hinting at something. 

“Is your shoulder alright?” Kurt asked. Although, he felt like somebody should be asking him that instead. Bowtie shrugged nonchalantly, as if he didn’t know himself. It was like there was an alien in his house, and he was struggling to understand its language. The only sounds in the room were the faint clicking of their keyboards, and their quiet breathing. 

Kurt stood up abruptly.

“We’ve been working for an hour, I think it’s time we took a break. To, y’know, give our eyes a rest from the screens.” He announced. In actuality, he couldn’t take it anymore. The soft light from the warm sunset outside was filtering in through his window, and it made Bowtie look like he’d stepped right out of an aged rococo painting (with earbuds and a laptop instead of a book). He tried as hard as he could to pull his eyes away, to remind himself that this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He felt like he was lost in his own head, a maze of his subconscious creation. 

“So, in glee club today…” he really didn’t know how to ask what he wanted to without it being impossible for the boy to answer. Bowtie looked at him expectantly. “What… was your song about my song? I know you can’t… can’t say what the lyrics meant to you but I’d like to know.” He asked timidly. He knew he’d have to talk about it eventually, and it was better to bite the bullet and get it over with than to stress about it for a week. Bowtie nodded, like he always did. Kurt knew he wasn’t going to elaborate. He realized that he had 2 options:

Leave it be, and go get a glass of water.  
Ask Bowtie a possibly life-changing and incredibly personal question. 

He opted for the latter. It’s not like he _had_ to oblige, but he’d seemed willing to progress a moment earlier. He felt like if he didn’t ask, he might never find out. 

“I apologize if I’m overstepping, but um… would you be willing to take off your glove? I’ll… I’ll take off mine too. Just so I can… um… know. I feel like there’s something that’s… going unsaid.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he began to regret every decision he’d ever made. He’d shown his friends his mark the first day he’d had his mark, but they’d known him for years. They’d also been aware of the fact that he’d been freaking out about it, so they needed some kind of closure. But Bowtie? They’d known each other for a month. They’d never gone deeper than those songs that day. Plus, he didn’t even know if the guy was gay. He had his suspicions (or else he wouldn’t’ve asked), but he couldn’t be too sure. 

All of his thoughts were silenced by the quiet sound of fabric shuffling against skin. The aforementioned tension in the room increased tenfold. The invisible rope was fraying. Kurt was hanging on as tight as he could, grasping out into nothingness. The air was nearly turbid, and time seemed to slow. 

_“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel.”_

The rope snapped, and he fell. 

He pulled off his own glove with trembling fingers, and held his hand out to Bowtie. No, _Blaine_. Those soft maroon letters he often traced while he was alone in his bedroom, this room, were suddenly so much more. 

“I’m your… Blaine?” Kurt looked up at Blaine, tears welling up in his eyes. Blaine nodded again, smiling shyly. Suddenly, everything made sense. The shoulder, the eyes, the pull. They’d connected, and he hadn’t even realized. He’d dealt with such extreme emotional turmoil about being into him when his soulmate was out there, when in actuality it was right in front of his nose the entire time. Then, another realization hit him like a ton of bricks. _Blaine knew_. He knew that Kurt was his soulmate, and he didn’t indicate it at all. He kept his glove on, he sang that Adele song, and had continued on his (somewhat) merry way as if he didn’t know either. Even if he wouldn’t talk, it’s not like he couldn’t do anything. He could’ve taken off his glove earlier, or typed “I am your soulmate and my name is blaine” on the doc. He could’ve texted him too, it was the 21st century for Pete’s sake. Kurt didn’t know if he was thrilled, upset, or just bewildered. 

“What do we do now?” Kurt asked. He figured it would be best to avoid confrontation in such a significant moment, especially when he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with any answer he was capable of getting. Blaine looked at him with those obscenely wide amber eyes, and Kurt decided that his only option was to give in. He pulled Blaine in and embraced him. His arms were surprisingly strong, but he was still warm and comforting. His head fit nicely into the crook in Kurt’s shoulder, like a puzzle piece.

“Dude? I’m home. What are y-” if there’s one thing anyone should know, it’s to knock before entering a teenage boy’s room. Finn should’ve understood this better than anybody, and yet there he was. The look of pure bewilderment on his face was priceless. The boys pulled apart from each other and practically teleported to opposite sides of the bed. Well, so much for an emotional moment! The fact that they were hugging wasn’t really the surprising thing, though. Kurt knew that it was just as weird as if he were to hug Sam, or one of his girl-friends (that is, not weird). It was that Blaine had lifted his hands up when they’d separated, revealing the normally concealed Dior grey cursive scrawl of Kurt’s name on his loveline. Kurt could see the wheels in Finn’s head turning when he saw it, as his expression shifted from that of confusion, to realization, to shock. “Whoa. What? You…”

“Finn...” Kurt was at a loss for words. 

“When did you guys find this out? Why didn’t you tell me? Does Burt know? What the hell?” 

“Well, we- we just showed each other around 5 minutes ago. I didn’t know his name, so we didn’t realize immediately like most people. We didn’t tell you because we just found out around 5 minutes ago, and at that point I assume you were in the car on your way home. Dad doesn’t know, because we found out around 5 minutes ago. You kind of barged in on the emotional comedown.” Kurt explained, slightly irritated. Blaine nodded, squinting his eyes at Finn. It was kind of funny, as if he was going “Yeah!” 

“Weren’t you just working on a project or something? How’d that lead to… this?”

“You were in glee club today, Finn. It was weird, and we needed to clear the air. One thing led to another, and…” 

“Rachel made me watch Mamma Mia, I know that’s a reference. Alright, hold on. You guys have gotta tell Burt right when he gets home! This is a big deal.” Kurt looked to Blaine to see if this was alright with him. Even if he wasn’t talking, he was still a person. Sometimes, it seemed like others overlooked that fact. He agreed, though something he couldn’t quite recognize flashed behind his eyes. 

“Alright. Just… Don’t tell anyone in glee about this. We don’t really know what our relationship is yet, and they’ll blow it way out of proportion before we figure it out ourselves.”

“Wait, does this mean you can talk now?” Finn asked. Blaine shook his head ‘no’. Kurt logged that as something that they really needed to discuss later. He sighed and looked away as Finn exited. He was glad his step-brother cared, but did he have to be so… oblivious… about it? He was about to turn to Blaine in order to comment exactly that, when he heard the distinctive slam of the front door which signified that his dad was home from the Garage. 

“Why don’t we um… go downstairs without our gloves on. You can wave to him, and he’ll see my name. That way, we have less to explain. He’s already seen my mark, because I showed it to him the day I got it. Does that sound okay?” Kurt proposed. Blaine, for the millionth time, nodded. Did his neck get sore from all that? “Okay. It’s showtime.”

\----------------------------

“Hey dad, how was work? You remember that we were working on our english project tonight, right? Kurt asked as he came down the stairs.

“It was fine. Business as usual. I remember, now that you’ve reminded me.” Burt smiled. Blaine followed closely behind Kurt, clearly nervous. They convened in the kitchen, and Blaine held out his right hand for Burt to shake. Polite and dapper as usual, but not part of the plan.

“You got a name, kid?” 

“He doesn’t really talk.” Kurt interjected. “Show him your hand, Blaine.” He whispered to the boy. Blaine reached to casually lean his chin on his hand, exposing his left palm. 

“Well, then, Kurt. What’s his…” He trailed off when he noticed Blaine’s mark. “Holy shit.”

“Dad?” He wasn’t sure if his dad looked happy, or just plain shocked. 

“What’s going on here?”

“Dad, this is Blaine. Blaine Anderson. My soulmate.” Saying the words out loud felt like a confession, an admission that this was _real_. The very thing he’d dreamed about since he was able to dream had finally happened. A single, very dramatic tear slipped down his cheek. 

“Alright. Well… uh… are you guys dating?” Kurt could tell that he didn’t really know what to do. When Rachel and Finn had found that they were each other’s soulmates, it wasn’t really a surprise. Burt didn’t know this kid, and nobody had expected Kurt to find his partner until he’d left Lima and moved to NYC. 

“No. Not yet, anyway. We just found out today.” 

“Okay, Kurt. Remember what I told you last year.” He turned to go into the living room, stopping to say, “Blaine, it was a pleasure to meet ya. Kurt, we’ll talk later.”

\----------------------------

School the next day meant the gloves were back on for both of them. Kurt was almost sad, having made such an important discovery and only being able to share it with Finn and his dad. He knew it was for the best, though, as it meant Rachel couldn’t steamroll them with her thoughts and questions. If they’d told everyone but her, she’d be angry when she found out. It was sort of a lose-lose situation, so it was better to take the lesser of three evils. 

English passed smoothly, with the boys turning in their completed draft and sneaking knowing glances at each other throughout the entire period. The rest of the day proceeded without a hitch as well, with Kurt only getting slammed into the lockers once. During lunch, they played footsie under the table. Now, they weren’t dating. But Kurt couldn’t deny that he thought Blaine was attractive, his writing was superb, and he seemed to express a lot of his personality through his singing and what he listened to. Whenever they were working in the library, they’d share a pair of earbuds and listen to whatever he’d been in the mood for that day. That consisted mostly of Broadway hits, top 40, 80’s pop, and an entire playlist of just Roxy Music. Not to mention, they were soulmates and bound together forever. All of that had to count towards his ability to have more than a superficial “your lips are pretty, and would look even better on my lips” kind of crush on him. The only thing that was different now than before was that he wasn’t holding back because of Blaine Anderson, as this _was_ Blaine Anderson. The rest of their friends hadn’t even noticed, because they were too caught up in their own drama. The main obstacle of the day was glee club. In there, emotions were in their purest and most uncensored state, and everyone’s senses were heightened. At least, it seemed like that’s how it was based on how some people acted. 

“Even though it’s Thursday, everyone has already managed to sing a song for the ‘new music’ assignment. So, I had to think of a new one for today and tomorrow. Luckily, something came to me as I was listening to Journey in my car on the way over here: Weather! Find a song that mentions weather patterns. Some examples I can think of off the top of my head are ‘It’s Raining Men’ and ‘Walking on Sunshine’. You will have to perform these songs either today or tomorrow, and you’ll be chosen at random. This is to prepare you for any surprise situations like Sectionals last year, where you need to pull a themed song out a moment’s notice.” Mr. Shue explained, setting a fedora with paper in it on the piano. He reached into the fedora, and pulled out one of the slips. “And the first performer is… B!” Blaine looked up, eyes wide in surprise. Kurt had to stifle a giggle at the expression. He watched as he got up and handed the band a little note, as he usually did. 

“Many times I tried to tell you  
Many times I cried alone  
Always I'm surprised how well you cut my feelings to the bone  
Don't want to leave you really  
I've invested too much time to give you up that easy  
To the doubts that complicate your mind,”

It was “We Belong” by Pat Benetar. Kurt always listened to Blaine’s lyrics intently, knowing it was how he spoke. Even though he already knew all of it by heart, he still hung onto every word like his life depended on it. It was like Blaine could read his mind, as he hadn’t even expressed his doubts. 

“We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together,”

This part was clearly about the whole soulmate thing. Kurt felt a hot blush rise on his cheeks. He wasn’t sure if he was being asked out, or if it was just a sweet reminder. 

“Maybe it's a sign of weakness when I don't know what to say  
Maybe I just wouldn't know what to do with my strength anyway  
Have we become a habit? Do we distort the facts?  
Now there's no looking forward  
Now there's no turning back  
When you say,”

It seemed as if all of the songs he sang mentioned lack of speech in some way. He wasn’t sure how he managed to find such a relevant song to their situation when he’d been given the assignment mere minutes prior.

“We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together

Close your eyes and try to sleep now  
Close your eyes and try to dream  
Clear your mind and do your best to try and wash the palette clean  
We can't begin to know it, how much we really care  
I hear your voice inside me, I see your face everywhere  
Still you say

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together  
We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder.”

Blaine got a standing ovation, of course. When he sang, it was like he became the music. Kurt made sure he clapped the loudest, smiled the widest, and praised him the most sincerely. That day, it felt like a switch had been flipped that caused Kurt to be sick in love. Based on his song, it seemed like Blaine had caught the bug too. 

“That was a great song, B. As always. But I have to wonder, it felt like it was directed at somebody specific? I know what that feels like, because I sing songs to Finn all the time.” Rachel asked. Finn looked like he was going to die from the dramatic irony, since he had (thankfully) withheld their secret. Blaine just shrugged, and went back to his seat next to Kurt. 

“Rachel, I think we’d know if someone else in here found their soulmate. It happened with you and Finn, Tina and Mike, and Mercedes and Sam.” Kurt said. He hoped his lie was convincing enough.

“No. I know when you’re hiding something from me, and this feels like that.”  
“Rachel, just lay off.” Finn snapped. Her face contorted, and she sharply inhaled before relaxing back into her seat.

“Fine. But if anything suspicious happens again, I’m not going to accept any excuses.” 

\----------------------------  
Blaine had ridden his bike to school, and it was getting dark out, so Kurt offered to drive him home. They cranked up the radio, and sang along to Pink’s “Perfect”. He looked over at him when they’d reached a stoplight, and he was practically glowing. There was something about Blaine and sunsets, he noticed. His smile was gleaming, and his eyes reflected every color in the sky. If it weren’t for traffic laws, he could’ve stared at him forever. The song switched to some generic incomprehensible pop, so he turned down the volume. When he glanced back at Blaine, he saw that he was looking at him, too. 

“Thank you, Kurt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I evil or what? Ha ha ha.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive! This chapter took me like 5 days to write for some reason, so enjoy.   
> Warnings for homophobic insults (No slurs, don't worry) and a strong reaction to those insults. This is an emotional one!

“What?” Was all Kurt could utter. He’d heard Blaine perfectly, clear as day, but it was such a shock to hear him speak.

“I said...um… thank you.” Blaine stuttered. Kurt pulled over around 2 blocks away from their destination, so he wouldn’t accidentally crash his car out of bewilderment. 

“For… For what?” He was worried that he was about to start crying. Based on the glassy sheen of Blaine’s eyes, it would be one of them. 

“Just… being here. Being here with me.” Blaine spoke quietly, as if he wasn’t sure it was what he was supposed to be doing.

“We’re… I mean… I couldn’t let you bike home in the dark. That’s dangerous.” Kurt knew that wasn’t really what he was talking about ( _talking_ about!), but he wasn’t sure what else to mention.

“That’s what I meant. You care so much, even if we haven’t known each other for very long, and I haven’t exactly been the best to you. You feel twice as much for half the price.” He noted that Blaine’s manner of speaking was incredibly articulated for someone who didn’t speak, and he kind of loved it. 

“What do you mean? I’m sorry, this whole talking thing is really throwing me off.” Kurt asked quietly.

“I promise I can explain that, later. You just…” he seemed to be searching for the correct words. “You put up with it. You didn’t ask for a new english partner, you figured out how to work with me. In glee club, you listened to my songs, even if they can be kind of intense. Now, you’re going out of your way to drive me home, even though I have lights on my bike, and it would’ve been sunset the entire time. You don’t treat me like I’m broken, and you ask me questions. Nobody ever asks me things when they find out that I don’t talk.” Blaine explained. Kurt felt a tear prick at his eye, and run down his cheek. It dripped onto the center console, and sunk into the fabric. He looked at it for a moment, before returning Blaine’s eye contact. 

“Um… would it be insensitive to say I’m at a loss for words?” Kurt smiled. Blaine laughed in response. Blaine laughed, and Kurt decided that it was the best thing he could ever hear. Even in the tension of the moment, it felt more musical than anything anybody had ever sung. 

“That’s okay. I guess I kind of deserve it, since I didn’t say anything to you for so long.” There was a thick sadness under his voice.

“I… I guess… I mean, all that stuff you said, it just felt like the right thing to do. We’re soulmates, Blaine. I couldn’t leave you. I _wouldn’t_. I didn’t ask for a new english partner because you write really well, better than me. Your songs are important to me, it is- well, was- your language. Plus, you have a beautiful voice. Anyone would be stupid not to listen to you. I’m giving you a ride home because it’s going to get dark out, and if you couldn’t tell anybody if something bad happened and it led to something worse I don’t know what I would do with myself.” Kurt sobbed. He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted to tell to Blaine if he was to be capable of regular conversation. Blaine was crying too, and reached to clutch Kurt’s hands. “I’m sorry.” 

“Kurt, don’t apologize. I lo- you have to feel your feelings. Thank you so, so much.” He sniffled, his grip tightening on Kurt’s hands. 

“You’re so good at talking for someone who never talks.”

“I talk to my mom, and I have a therapist.” Blaine admitted, removing his hand to wipe a tear from his cheek. He immediately replaced it, though.

“That’s… that’s good. Are we- are you going to keep talking to me?”

“Hopefully.”

“What does that mean?” Kurt asked. Blaine’s face fell slightly. 

“I have selective mutism, Kurt. I can’t really control when I can talk and when the very prospect is painful.” 

“Selective mutism?” 

“I can only talk to certain people, in certain places. It’s an anxiety disorder.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Can I… can I help you? I like being able to talk to you.” Kurt whispered. He noticed that he had begun to cry harder, a river of tears now flowing down his cheeks.

“No. Like I said, just being here for me is enough. I’m talking to you, which is all of the assurance you need that whatever you’re doing is okay with me.” Blaine explained. Kurt exhaled. 

“Okay. Okay. That’s okay. You’re okay. Right?” 

“Right now, I am. Can we take a minute? I don’t think you can drive like that.” Blaine gestured to Kurt’s face, which was puffy and tear stained.

“You’re not looking much better.” Kurt laughed. Blaine released his hands in order to pull down the mirror on the sun visor.

“Wow, we are a mess.” 

“We.” Kurt muttered. 

“Sorry?” 

“I just realized… it feels so real now. That we’re soulmates. I don’t think I knew how much I needed to hear your voice until you said my name.” Kurt blinked back a new wave of tears threatening to surface.

“We have to stop talking about this, or we’ll never get home.” Blaine giggled. 

“Yeah.” At that, Kurt receded back into his position in the driver’s seat. He started the car, and the last 3 minutes of the drive proceeded with only their typical silence and the sound of the earlier generic pop emanating faintly from the car radio.

“Well, this is me.” Blaine sighed.

“I’ll… I’ll call you when I get home. Now that you can talk to me, I don’t ever want to stop. Is it alright if I tell my dad about this? He’s been really worried about me lately.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. Thank you for asking, sometimes when people find out they think that my entire medical history is their business.”

“Hm. I’ll see you tomorrow, Blaine.”

“Thanks again, Kurt.” 

\---------------------------------- 

“Dad, I’m home!” Kurt announced as he crossed his threshold. 

“Took you long enough. I thought you were just giving Blaine a ride home. Does he live in Canada?” Burt replied frustratedly. 

“No, we… we talked.” Kurt admitted.

“Talked? I thought he couldn’t talk.” 

“He told me that he has selective mutism. So, he can talk to specific people in specific places, in certain scenarios. I’m going to research it more later.” Kurt explained.

“That’s some serious stuff. Some guy who came into the shop’s kid had that, wouldn’t even look up from his shoes the entire time. Are you alright? Is he?”

“Yeah. We are. He told me. We’re gonna call later too.”

“Be careful, kiddo.”

“I know, dad.”

\---------------------------------- 

After he’d completed his lengthy moisturizing routine, Kurt went to call Blaine.

“Hi, Blaine.”

“Hey, Kurt! Made it home okay?” 

“Yeah. Gosh, I have so many things I want to talk about with you!” Kurt gushed.

“Me too.” 

“I think we have some important things we need to address first.” Kurt said timidly. 

“Like what?” Blaine questioned.

“Um… well, I was sort of holding back on the whole soulmate thing because we couldn’t really have a fair conversation, but now…” He trailed off, trying to think of the right words to say.

“Now?” 

“Now we can. And lying and saying that I don’t feel anything towards you when I’m really, really into you would be pretty counterintuitive. So, besides soulmates, um… what are we?” Kurt realized his hands were shaking as he asked this.

“You’re right, you don’t really know anything about me. But I know a lot about you, and I really like what I know. So let’s say friends, for now.” 

“I… I want to be more. Not right now, I think we agree on that. Just… can we go on a date? Like, a proper, getting-to-know-you date.” Kurt proposed.

“I’d be honored. On one condition: it’s at my house.” 

“Woah, isn’t it a little early for that?” Kurt joked.

“Hey! It’s a comfortable place for me, and we don’t have to worry about interacting with other people by surprise. Is Saturday at noon okay?” 

“Yeah,” Kurt breathed. “It’s a date!”

“It’s a date.” Blaine repeated.

“Will you be able to talk to me at school tomorrow?”

“I don’t think so. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t.” Blaine answered sadly. 

“I understand. I promise I’ll do more research on this so I can stop asking you all of these questions. For now, I guess I’ll just have to find a really good song to sing to you for that dumb weather assignment. How did he think that was a good idea?” 

“It’s beyond me. I can help you find a song, if you want.”   
“Please do.”

“What about Adele’s ‘Right as Rain’? That talks about rain, it’s right in the title.” Blaine suggested.

“That’s not really the energy I’m going for, It’s a little breakup-y. You sang me such a pretty song, I want to return the favor.” 

“‘Set Fire To The Rain’?”

“Still breakup-y.”

“What about that new Lana Del Rey song? It mentions that Topanga's hot in the summer. I’m pretty sure heat is a weather pattern.”

“It’s too... sensual... for school. The only person I’m trying to seduce is you, and it wouldn’t work if you suggested the song.” Kurt clamped his hand over his mouth the second he realized what he’d said. Blaine guffawed on the other side of the line.

“I don’t know, we’d have to see how well you did it.” 

“Are you flirting with me, Blaine Anderson?” Kurt remarked.

“Are you, Kurt Hummel?” 

“You really want me to do that song, don’t you?” 

“I just think it would be hauntingly beautiful in your countertenor, sue me.”

“I’ll be contacting my lawyer shortly.” Kurt giggled. 

“Are you going to tell the glee club about us?” Blaine suddenly asked, interrupting the flow of conversation.

“Oh… uh… do you want me to?” Kurt questioned.

“I’m not sure. On one hand, I think they would cause us a lot of stress, but on the other, I think they already suspect something.” 

“This may be a bit manipulative of me, but I say we wait and let them figure it out themselves. This whole thing is driving Rachel crazy, and it’s honestly really fun for me.” 

“That’s okay with me. This is all on you, though, since I’m not gonna be the one slipping up and saying anything.”

“Oh, wow, it’s really late.” Kurt remarked.

“Yeah, we should probably go to sleep. Goodnight, Kurt.”

“Goodnight, Blaine.” Kurt hung up the phone and set it on his bedside table, a single tear rolling down his cheek. It seemed like that had been happening a lot since Blaine’s sudden appearance. 

\---------------------------------- 

Kurt spent the entire morning anxiously anticipating english class, the first time he would see Blaine in person since their breakthrough. He considered if things would be different, even if Blaine couldn’t speak at school. He figured it might, since their dynamic had shifted. No longer would it be Kurt antagonizing silently while Blaine stared at him with his sweet, tormented cow eyes and nodded. For the first time in the months that they had known each other, they were more or less equals. Settled into his chair in class, he could tell Blaine felt it too. There was this magnetism in the air between them that he could almost touch. 

“Alright, everyone. Today we’re going to pair up with other groups and do some peer reviews. Brett and Amanda are both absent, so we’ll have one extra group that I’ll work with. How about… Kurt and B. Come up to the front of the room to get the assignment sheet.” Ms Perriet ordered. After everyone had grouped up, they walked over to her desk with their paper and sat in the chairs she had set in front of it. Kurt noticed that Blaine’s energy was so different from when they were in the car and talking on the phone. He was visibly tense, and had waves of anxiety flowing off of him. Ms. Perriet read their paper carefully, making marks every now and then. 

“Wow, you guys, this is one of the best Soulmate papers I’ve read in awhile. I thought your take on the emotional responses of the characters rather than the physical was really interesting, I don’t really see it that often.” Ms. Perriet said when she’d finished.

“Thank you.” Kurt replied.

“You seem to know about some of these topics without having done as much extensive research on them as the others. Your descriptive language is also incredibly specific. So, I have to ask, have either of you found your soulmates? B, I know you have some… never mind. But still.” She asked. Kurt and Blaine briefly made eye contact, and Blaine hit his hand against Kurt’s thigh. He looked down, and noticed a thumbs-up.

“Yes, actually.” Kurt responded.

“Oh, how wonderful! That explains it. You should show this essay to them. I think they’ll enjoy it.” At that, Blaine blushed slightly. 

“I’ll think about it.” Kurt retorted unseriously. 

“I left some feedback on there as well. It’s mostly just mechanical errors, and a few questions I had. I’ve circled those, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Just look over it, and fill out the self-evaluation rubric.”

“Okay.” Kurt obliged. They went back to their table and began to look over their essay. 

“Just hit my arm when you’re ready for me to turn the page.” Kurt whispered to Blaine. He nodded, as always. Kurt was reminded of the fact that not everything was different, that this was a part of Blaine that he would have to learn to adapt to in order for either of them to be happy. 

The essay was filled with a lot of scribbled “Wow!”’s, and everything that was to be edited could easily be fixed. 

“Maybe on Saturday we can take a minute to fix these.” Kurt said. Blaine nodded. With that, the bell rang, and they were off to glee club. When they were around two thirds of the way there, Karofsky clobbered past them.

“Hey ladies, on your way to the ball?” He sneered. Kurt simply rolled his eyes and continued walking. This was a relatively tame and typical snipe from him, nothing to call home about. While he was walking, he noticed the distinct absence of human body warmth beside him. He whipped his head around, to see Blaine stopped in his tracks. He was wide eyed and gaping, tears streaming down his face. 

“Oh my god. Are you okay? Did he touch you?” Kurt questioned worriedly. He shook his head ‘no’, but even in his nonverbal state he was a terrible liar. He was very obviously not okay. He ran back towards the fragile boy and grabbed his quivering hand, pulling him towards the choir room. There was always the risk of Rachel storming in, ready to start unnecessary drama, but it was a safer alternative than going somewhere else and encountering Karofsky again. “Let’s go to the choir room. We’ll be alone for a little while, and the tissues in there are really soft.” Still holding his hand, shoulders pressed together, they walked the short distance to the room. Blaine was distraught and trembling slightly, his grip iron on Kurt’s hand. When they finally reached their destination, he ushered him to a chair in the back corner. With a final rub of his thumb on Blaine’s hand, he raced over to the tissue box in the corner and grabbed an incomprehensible number of tissues. He proceeded to sit in the chair next to Blaine, and swiveled to face him. Even in the dim lighting and the less-than-ideal circumstances, he could still feel the meaning of human existence in Blaine’s eyes. When he looked in them, nothing else could matter. 

“Hey, you’re okay. I’m here. He can’t hurt you.” Kurt said quietly. He clutched one of the tissues and dabbed lightly under Blaine’s eyes. He could feel his breath on his chin. He peered up at Kurt desperately, searchingly. 

“Every time we’re together one or both of us ends up crying. We should probably figure out how to avoid that in the future.” Kurt smiled, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Suddenly, the breath was knocked out of him when Blaine threw himself into a tight hug. His fingers squeezed his back. When Kurt had recovered from the initial shock, he returned the embrace. “It’s okay. I’m always going to be here for you.” Kurt whispered into his ear. 

“Rachel, stop. You can’t dictate my freaking life like that!” Finn groaned. Kurt looked up from Blaine’s shoulder to see him standing in the doorway, facing Rachel. He quickly pulled away and handed Blaine the rest of the tissues. Blaine glanced at the affair and smiled, clearly amused by Finn and Rachel’s shenanigans. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I have needs to, and I’d really appreciate if we went places sometimes! Watching loud, violent movies on your couch with Burt in the room is NOT a date!” Rachel ranted, turning to enter the room. “Um… what’s going on here? Are you crying?” She asked when she saw the remnants of the earlier scene. 

“Are you guys okay? Blai- B, you look like you just witnessed a murder or something.” Finn questioned, in a much softer tone. 

“Yeah, thanks.” Kurt replied, choosing to disregard the obvious slip up. At least he was trying hard enough to attempt at all. 

“I seriously feel like I’m missing something. What’s going on?” Rachel squinted at them.

“B wasn’t... feeling well. I… I found him in here when I came in. I was just being a good friend, any of you would’ve done the same.” Kurt lied. 

“Why don’t I believe you?” Rachel asked, crossing her arms. 

“Because you think the only person who can ever be right is yourself.” Kurt snapped. 

“I think that’s it.” Finn chimed.

“I do not want to watch Inglorious Bastards with Burt instead of going to Breadstix with you! Let it go!” Thus, the conversation reverted back to their initial argument, and Kurt and Blaine were quickly forgotten. 

\---------------------------------- 

Everyone filed into glee club blissfully unaware of the fact that Blaine and Kurt’s fingers were linked together between their seats. Any lack of physical contact felt criminal after the earlier events. 

“Okay guys, great weather songs so far. Going first today is…. Kurt!” Mr. Shue announced. Kurt reluctantly released Blaine’s fingers and maneuvered to the front of the room. 

“So, I’m going to sing a song that somebody very special to me requested. This person insisted that I _must_ sing it, so I guess I will. This is ‘The Next Best American Record’ by Lana Del Rey.” There were a few slight mutters among the club after his brief speech, before the music swelled. 

“My baby used to dance underneath my architecture  
To the Houses of the Holy, smokin' on them cigarettes  
My baby used to dance underneath my architecture  
He was cool as heck  
He was cool as heck” 

He made occasional eye contact with Blaine as he sang. 

“And we were so obsessed with writing the next best American record  
That we gave all we had ’til the time we got to bed  
'Cause we knew we could  
We were so obsessed with writing the next best American record  
'Cause we were just that good  
It was just that good

Whatever’s on tonight‚ I just wanna party with you  
Topanga's hot tonight‚ I'm taking off my bathing suit  
You make me feel like  
There's something that I never knew I wanted” 

After the song finished, he got a standard round of applause, plus an extra wide grin from Blaine. 

“That was uncharacteristically hot, Kurt. Good job.” Santana commented.

“Thanks?” He said, returning to his seat. 

“Great! Next up, Rachel!” Mr. Schue proclaimed. 

\---------------------------------- 

“I’m really glad that you let me drive you home.” Kurt said as Blaine climbed into the passenger side. He smiled, and slammed the door. Kurt started the car, pulled out of the parking lot, and began to drive towards Blaine’s house. Around halfway there, Blaine’s demeanor switched again.

“I’m so sorry about today.” He mumbled. 

“Why?” Kurt replied.

“I feel like I’m burdening you.”

“Don’t say that. I care about you.” Kurt retorted.

“Thank you. The sunset is really pretty tonight, don’t you think?” He commented out of the blue.

“Yeah. I’m going to admit something, please don’t get creeped out.” Kurt responded. When they hit a stoplight, he turned his head to look at Blaine’s radiance.

“Yeah?” He tilted his head slightly.

“I think you look beautiful in the sunset.” Kurt admitted. Even in the warm lighting, he could see the blush flood Blaine’s cheeks.

“Thanks. I think you do too, y’know. You look like an angel.” They made eye contact, and the familiar tug of connection pulled at their heartstrings. However, anything that could have possibly happened was interrupted by the light turning green. 

“An angel that might crash the car if we keep doing this. Some angel that’d be.” Kurt joked. Before he knew it, they were pulling into Blaine’s cobblestone driveway. It was much faster than the day before, as they hadn’t taken an emotional intermission.

“Well, I’ll see you later, Kurt.” 

“It’s Friday. We only have to wait for a little while, and then we’ll see each other on Saturday.”

“On Saturday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that the song that Kurt sings came out in 2019, and thus could not have possibly been sung on glee. The thing is, this is fanfiction, so it doesn't matter and I can do what I want.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is not abandoned! I will not abandon it! I am just incredibly busy with real life stuff right now. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Kurt woke up at his third alarm on Saturday morning, the feeling of sudden excitement flooding his being when he fully adjusted to the land of the living. It seemed as if his body couldn’t take the anticipation of his date any longer. With very little time to kill, he leapt out of bed immediately to go shower. He shuffled quietly to the bathroom, careful not to wake his family. However, the second he stepped under the slightly-too-hot water, he began to belt out a shower-perfect rendition of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” His impromptu choreography was a little rough, and he felt as if he had gone through a near-death experience when he slipped and fell on his ass during a terribly-chosen spin. After recovering from the trauma of the incident, he finished his shower hastily and practically ran to his wardrobe. With much careful delegation, he chose a maroon button-down (as he knew it to be Blaine’s favorite color), black skinny jeans, a light-silver floral waistcoat, and a navy polka-dot bow tie. As he tucked it under his collar, he silently pictured a scenario in which he showed up at Blaine’s house and he happened to be wearing the same one. He styled his hair as he always did, and glanced at his phone clock. 11:36. 

“Dad, I’m leaving now!” Kurt called as he ran down the stairs and grabbed his keys out of the bowl. He practically flew to his car, pulsing with adrenaline. The entire drive over felt far too long, and the radio kept playing breakup songs. When he finally pulled into the familiar cobblestone driveway at 11:54 am, his heart was pounding with such intensity that he actually considered the probability of an early heart attack. He was at risk, after all. He rubbed at his left palm, which he had left ungloved. He’d brought the glove with him, but he figured there was no point in wearing it when everyone he would encounter in the area would already know. He rested his forearms on the steering wheel, and peered up at the house. It appeared to be one story, with a pleasant navy blue exterior. The lawn was well kempt, the small garden box blossoming with color, and the stone birdbath tittering with little sparrows. It was so lovely that it was almost idyllic. Kurt had only seen it in the evening, but he was always too focused on Blaine in the sunset to notice the house. At a point, he determined that he’d waited long enough, and climbed out of his Navigator. He knocked on the dark wooden door, and stood expectantly. 

“Kurt! Hi!” Blaine called as he swung the door open, grinning widely. 

“Hi.” Kurt smiled in response. All of his nerves melted away when he remembered that “ _oh yeah, it’s just Blaine_.” 

“Come in! I’ll give you a tour.” Blaine gestured inside, and Kurt stepped under the threshold. He took in the sweet smell of what seemed like mint that filled the house. Looking around, his gaze caught two large bunches of dried mint hanging in brown wicker baskets next to the door. A large leather couch sat in the center of the open living area, atop a white rug and facing the TV. The light hardwood floor blended into the teal tile of the kitchen, sitting directly next to the living room. A set dining table with a few floral-patterned cushioned chairs separated the two areas, and all was well illuminated by the large windows lining the top of the light grey walls. A short hallway lined with paintings branched off behind the space.

“Your house is beautiful.” Kurt remarked.

“Thank you. My mom is an interior designer, actually.” Blaine shrugged.

“Really? I’ll have to talk to her. I love interior design.” Kurt said excitedly.

“That’s really cool, Kurt. Come on, I’ll show you around.” He held out his hand for Kurt to hold, and he laced their fingers together. Kurt realized how much he missed Blaine’s contact, even if it hadn’t even been 24 hours since they last touched. “Okay, well that’s the bathroom, the door will be open unless there’s someone in there, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. There’s my mom’s room, don’t go in there. And this is my room.” Blaine stated, as they reached the end of the hall. He stepped into the room, and noticed how the bright-plaid comforter stood out against the dark walls. Little knick knacks were placed around the room, along with a bright red chair. It was very masculine, yet very Blaine. 

“Wow. I love you...r room.” Kurt breathed, internally cringing at his near slip-up. 

“Thanks!” Blaine looked pleased, and unaware of the mistake. 

“Alright, there’s some coffee in the pot, and I got chocolate sauce for you. We can have some and chat.” Blaine said.

“You know how I like my coffee?” Kurt blushed.

“Of course.” 

Hands still linked, they moved back to the kitchen. Sure enough, Blaine reached into the cupboard above and pulled out a bottle of chocolate sauce and two mugs.

“You can take the one with the little birds on it. It’s my favorite, cause it’s the same grey as my mark.” Blaine explained, untwisting their hands to flash Kurt’s name. 

“Oh, thank you. That’s really cute.” Kurt complimented, before he realized exactly what he was saying. He glanced over to see Blaine blushing into his cup, smiling lightly. After recovering from the flattery, Blaine poured the coffee into both of their mugs and altered Kurt’s so that it no longer tasted like coffee. They settled into the wicker stools at the pale marble breakfast bar, and began to sip their coffee.

“So, how are you?” Blaine asked.

“So much better now that I’m here. You?” Kurt preened.

“Same, I guess. Well, I’m always here, but I mean here with you. Ow! This coffee is really hot!” Blaine exclaimed, spitting his coffee back into his cup.

“Are you okay?” Kurt asked, eyes widening with worry. He placed a concerned hand on Blaine’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, I just burnt my tongue a little. I’m okay, though. It wasn’t even that bad, honestly.” Blaine said. Kurt’s gaze met his, and the famed eye contact was initiated. Kurt felt the familiar tug on his heart, an irresistible pull towards Blaine. He let out a shaky breath, but didn’t break the contact. It seemed like both of them were waiting for the other to look away. Kurt, in a brief moment of consciousness while in this state, noticed that his hand was still on Blaine’s shoulder. _If he were to…_  
Everything, the universe, them. Everything was begging for it to happen.   
“I…” Kurt murmured. He could feel the slight warmth radiating off of Blaine’s face, like the sweet pink sun at dusk that he so often admired. He took a deep breath in, knowing that there was only one thing he would be capable of doing. He leaned forward, and pressed a gentle kiss to Blaine’s lips. Blaine gasped quietly, before melting into the kiss. Kurt pulled up a hand to cup Blaine’s face, suddenly aware of this practically palpable incandescence pushing against it. It was all-encompassing, overwhelming, and mesmeric. _It_ was everything. When they pulled away, Blaine looked down and chuckled.

“I… wow.” Blaine hummed. A wide grin spread across his face.

“That was…” 

“Yeah.” 

“Do you wanna do it again?” Blaine proposed.

“Yes.” Kurt replied, pulling Blaine in for another kiss. It was more intense, with more objective and direction. Even then, he still felt as if he should be absolutely glittering after every touch. It was full of magic, of pure, concentrated life.

“I see why we do this soulmate thing now.” Blaine joked.

“And you didn’t before?” Kurt gasped, placing a hand on his chest in mock-offense. They fell into a fit of giggles, knees pressed together and faces warm. Bathed in the afternoon light, they glowed together.

\----------------------------------------------------

“I’m set on New York City. There’s nothing for me here except my dad and the Lima Bean.” Kurt explained, lying on his stomach on Blaine’s bed. A few hours had passed, but it felt like no time at all. 

“I’ll admit, I’ve never been there before. I don’t know if I’d be alright there, I think it depends on what I’m doing and where I am. There are just a lot of people.” Blaine pondered as he danced to Madonna. 

“I’ve never been either, but I think Nationals is there this year. We can figure it out then.” 

“Yeah. I hope we can see a real Broadway show when we’re there.” 

“I hope it’s Wicked.” Kurt remarked, rolling onto his back, head hanging off the bed, and looking at Blaine upside-down. “You’re cute upside-down.” 

“If I kiss you like this, it’ll be like Spiderman.” Blaine considered, bouncing over to Kurt. He leaned over and kissed him, and Kurt giggled through the kiss.

“Dork.” Kurt quipped. 

“Look who’s talking, pineapple cake.” 

“What?” Kurt squinted at Blaine.

“Because you’re the one that’s upside-down! Pineapple upside-down cake!” Blaine exclaimed. Kurt began to shake with laughter, tears pooling in his eyes. 

“Oh my god, Blaine. I think you might kill me.” Kurt gasped through his laughter. 

“I love you too much to do that.” Blaine grinned. Immediately after, he stopped dancing and clamped a hand over his mouth. There was a brief moment of thick silence, with “La Isla Bonita” playing quietly from Blaine’s stereo.

“I love you too.” Kurt replied quietly. 

_I want to be where the sun warms the sky  
When it’s time for siesta you can watch them go by_

He flipped over, left the bed, and maneuvered over to Blaine, who was still standing stunned.

“Are you alright? Blaine?” Kurt asked, putting his hands on Blaine’s shoulders. “I love you too.” 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I thought I… I thought I messed up. Y’know, I talk to someone and then…” Blaine muttered.

“No. I love you, dork. Let’s dance.” Kurt removed his hands from Blaine’s shoulders, and offered them for him to take. 

“Okay, pineapple.” Blaine smiled, spinning Kurt. 

_Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me  
I think they’re okay_

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“I should probably go home soon. It’s getting dark out, and my dad hasn’t called to see if I’m alive yet.” Kurt sighed, yet a few more hours later.

“My mom will be home soon, anyways.” Blaine responded.

“I had a really good time. I think you’re my new favorite person.” Kurt admitted.

“Are we going too fast?” Blaine asked suddenly.

“I mean… every moment is precious with us. We’re already soulmates, I don’t see why we have to wait for everything else.” Kurt decided, placing his hands on his hips.

“Yeah. I… I agree. You’re my new favorite person too, Kurt. Text me when you get home?”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you too.” With that, Kurt waved, and left to get in his car. 

First kiss, first “I love you”, and silly nicknames. What more could they need? Kurt started the ignition and pulled out, willing a silent “see you later” to Blaine and his pretty lawn and pretty eyes. He replayed the day’s events through his head throughout the entire drive home, aware of how surreal everything was. He was terrified that he’d return to his house, find that his dad was a zebra, and wake up on Saturday morning to find that it was all a dream. When he parked in his own driveway, he pinched himself just in case. He hummed “Hung Up” as he unlocked the door, and stepped into his house.

“Hey, kiddo.” Burt said, disturbing Kurt’s romantic haze. He nearly jumped out of his skin due to the startle. 

“Dad! Hi.” Kurt greeted.

“You look different.” Burt noticed, Kurt furrowed his brow, and looked away.

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked, suspicious of his father’s intentions.

“You look happier.” His dad said pointedly. 

“Oh.” 

“So, when’s Blaine gonna come over here? I’d like to meet him again.” Burt inquired.

“I… I’m not sure. I don’t know if he’d talk at all here. You might make him nervous.”

“I get it. I’m glad you care so much about his feelings, bud. Well, now that you’re home I can get to bed. Goodnight, Kurt.” Burt said, rising from the couch and walking to the stairs. 

“Night, dad.” Kurt followed shortly after him, turning into his room and pulling his pajamas out of the dresser. He got dressed quickly, did his moisturizing routine not-so-quickly, and washed the product out of his hair. He proceeded to sit down on the bed, legs tucked under himself criss-cross-applesauce. He picked his phone up off of his bedside table, and clicked Blaine’s phone number. After two rings, he heard the familiar static of a silent line.

“Hi Blaine, I just wanted to call to let you know that I got home alright, and to say goodnight.” 

“Hi Kurt! I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I miss you every time I leave you. Do you think that’s a soulmate thing, or an us thing?”

“Both?”

“Probably. Sometimes Finn talks about missing Rachel right after we get in the car after glee club. I used to think it was annoying, but now I completely understand.” 

“I totally get it. Anyways, I’m glad you got home safely.”

“I am too. Goodnight, Blaine. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“Please. Or I’ll call you, we’ll see. Goodnight!” 

“Are we gonna do that ‘no-you-hang-up-first’ song and dance or will one of us just bite the bullet?”

“I’ll do it. Goodnight. For real this time!” At that, there was a click, and the line disconnected. Kurt flopped back, and clutched his phone to his chest. He curled his legs in, and turned on his side. 

“Dork.” He whispered to himself, a smile stretching across his face. He fell asleep in that position, phone held close to his chest as if Blaine himself lived inside of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I planned for this chapter to reveal some of the mysteries in this story. I was like, "yes... I shall reveal the cause of x y and z during the date..." I sat down to write it, and honestly just did not feel like making anything angsty. So you get this cute fluffy thing! It's still an important chapter, just not in the way I intended. I like it better this way, though. Too much angst is unhealthy for the soul.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive!

Separation - regardless of how far - can be so heart-wrenchingly painful. ‘Twas the case, Therefore, when Mr. Schue decided that the glee club MUST do another duet assignment in which the partners were randomly selected by the ol’ pick-a-name-out-of-a-hat method; Blaine and Kurt were torn apart by the harsh hand of fate (or rather, the harsh hand of Santana picking Kurt’s name). This left Blaine to endure the tumultuous experience of being Rachel’s duet partner, and wordlessly at that. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song in my life.” Santana moaned, slumping down in her chair. The task of choosing what to sing for the assignment had left them utterly at a loss, due to the strong contrast of their repertoires.

“Please, ‘songs with strong social commentary’ make up around half of the music we listen to. Can we really not make a decision? I know this assignment is stupidly vague, and probably more relevant to Mr. Shue’s current situation than ours, but we have to choose something.” Kurt complained as he paced around the empty choir room. They had set aside some time to work on the song, but their efforts proved fruitless. 

“I’m sure we can find something, Porcelain. What about… hm… ‘The Lady In Red’?” Santana suggested. 

“Why that?”

“Well, for one thing, I look hot as hell in red. That song was basically written about me. It’s a commentary on how good red looks.” Santana flipped her hair, and Kurt couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

“I’m gay, you’re straight, it’d be weird for us to sing a song about a lady. Also, that isn’t really a social commentary.” Kurt said firmly. 

“Uh…” The look in Santana’s eyes shifted drastically, from the normal mischievous glow to a pale nervousness.

“Santana?” Kurt walked over to her, incredibly confused. 

“One of the things you said - one of your reasons, I mean… it’s wrong.” She mumbled.

“What?” Kurt sat down next to her, but didn’t dare touch her. She exhaled, and pulled off her glove in a swift movement. She held out her hand to Kurt as if it were burning hot, and she couldn’t be near it.

“B… Brittany S. Pierce.” Kurt read. The rainbow, clearly crayon-written letters stood out clear as day. “Oh my gosh, Santana.”

“I figured you’d get it, since you’re gay too. We’re keeping it on the DL for now, so don’t you dare say anything.” She shrugged, but she was barely maintaining her composure.

“Does anyone else know?” He asked.

“My mom.” She replied, pulling her glove back over her hand. 

“I understand your situation more than you could ever know.” Kurt mumbled, glancing at his own hand. Blaine filled his head like cotton, thick and suddenly suffocating.

“Pardon me? You’re out and proud, Porcelain. You aren’t hiding shit.” Santana burst, gesturing wildly. 

“Okay firstly, drama queen, I’ve been in the closet before. I only came out last year. No, I know right now. I know what it’s like to hide your soulmate.” Kurt yelled, quieting when “soulmate” slipped out of his lips. The metaphorical cotton fluffed out of his mouth with every word he spoke.

“We all know who your soulmate is. Blaine something?” She huffed. 

“He goes here. We’re dating.” Kurt asserted. He immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing that he’d basically just exposed his and Blaine’s relationship without the boy’s knowledge. However, once you run the cotton through the mill, you can’t get it back on the plant. 

“Wait, hold on, what? He goes here?” Santana looked blindsighted, her own confession somewhat overshadowed. 

“I… please don’t tell anybody. We’ll be even that way. We kind of agreed to be quiet about it so that the rest of glee club wouldn’t freak out about it since there’s some… other stuff... going on.” Kurt pleaded. 

“Kurt, you may be bitchy-” 

“Hey!” Kurt interrupted

“You didn’t let me finish. You may be bitchy, but I know you’re trustworthy. I won’t tell if you don’t. Although, I don’t get why the glee club would bother him if we don’t even know him.” Santana smiled kindly, a rare occurrence.

“Thank you. Although-” Kurt was cut off by Blaine’s ringtone buzzing in his pocket. “Oh! This is him now.” He picked up the phone, and pressed it against his ear. 

“Hey, Kurt! What are you up to?” Blaine asked.

“I’m working on the glee project with Santana. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, I just missed you.” 

“I miss you too.” Kurt blushed. Santana fake-gagged, though it was all in good spirits.

“Well, I’ll call you tonight, I guess. I love you, pineapple!” Blaine giggled.

“Love you too, dork.” The dial tone sounded, and Kurt looked up to see Santana with a look of pure astonishment plastered on her face. 

“Even though I’m not telling anyone about this, don’t think I’m not going to try to figure out which guy here is yours.” Santana said

“Good luck, detective. I’ll let you know if I get any leads.” Kurt quipped. 

“On another note, I think I have the perfect song.”

\---------------------------------------------------------

Filing into glee club, Kurt wanted nothing more than to grab Blaine’s hand and whisk him away from Rachel. She was latched onto his side like an animal-sweatered barnacle, arm linked in his and chin high. 

“Rachel, what are you doing?” Kurt hissed. 

“What do you mean?” Rachel shrugged, pulling Blaine to her usual seat in the front of the choir room. Kurt immediately shoved himself next to her, so that Blaine had no choice but to settle into the chair next to Kurt instead of that next to Rachel. 

“I get that you two are duet partners, but you’re like… glued to him. It’s weird.” Kurt whispered. He figured Blaine could probably hear him, but he didn’t care.

“We have chemistry. It’s normal, really, when you keep up so well vocally. Plus, he’s really cute, and Finn and I are in a rough patch right now. Who says I can’t have a little fun?” Rachel whispered back, winking. Kurt glared at her, and turned to look at Blaine; he sat staring at Angry Birds on his phone, oblivious to what was transpiring next to him. Kurt’s gaze softened at the sight, but he refused to give in.

“Rachel, you have a soulmate. HE has a soulmate. How do you think his soulmate would feel knowing that you’re trying to get in his pants. How would your soulmate feel?” Kurt prodded, his declination to mention that _he_ was the soulmate in question entirely purposeful. Rachel adjusted her headband and strengthened her posture, unwilling to drop the issue. 

“I told you, Finn and I are on the rocks. B didn’t exactly object to us meeting up outside of school or anything. He didn’t agree either…” Rachel paused for a moment, Kurt’s glare boring through her. “But he showed up! He came to my house to work on the song. Why do you care, anyway?” 

“It’s the right thing to do. Right, B?” Kurt charged. Blaine looked up from his phone with a look of absolute bewilderment, having been so immersed in his game. “I should care, right?” Kurt repeated more gently. Blaine nodded, partially unaware of the context of the question, and returned to his phone.

“Fine. But if he wants anything, I won’t be one to tell him no.” Rachel conceded.

“He won’t.” Kurt angled his knees away from Rachel, thereby shutting her out. Moments later, Mr. Shue stepped up to his position in front of the piano. 

“Going first today, we’ll have Brittany and Quinn. Blow us away, girls!” He declared. 

“Go Britt! Santana whooped. She had set up camp directly above the trio, which Kurt hadn’t noticed until she’d yelled. Before she’d shown him her mark he’d known that the girls were close (call him Dr. Astute!), but he hadn’t connected that they were anything more. However, after the fact, he’d come to see that their love was obvious. The subtle touches, the intense looks, and never being apart were essentially the soulmate formula. Despite this, he didn’t think for a moment that anybody would see those exact motions between him and Blaine.   
The telltale guitar riff of Dolly Parton’s “Dumb Blonde” drew his attention away from Santana to the front of the room, in which Quinn and Brittany were performing. He noted to praise them on their song choice, as it was incredibly fitting. Not to mention, they’d choreographed exceptionally. The rest of the club seemed to agree, as at the end of the song they clapped with the highest energy and vigor since Holly Holiday’s arrival. Brittany tipped her cowboy hat, and skipped back to her spot next to Santana. 

“Mr. Shue, we’d like to go next!” Rachel called, arm straight in the air. 

“Go for it.” Mr. Shue said. Blaine stood, and placed a warm hand on Kurt’s shoulder. His touch radiated through Kurt like electricity, pulsing in his veins and jolting his heart. 

“Go get ‘em, tiger.” Kurt encouraged quietly, nudging Blaine towards the piano. He sat on the bench, while Rachel raised herself to sit on the instrument itself.

“I’m very excited about this number, because B is going to be accompanying us himself!” Rachel preceded. Sure enough, Blaine began to plunk out the beginning of the song. 

_She's got electric boots_  
a mohair suit  
You know I read it in a magazine, oh  
Bennie and the Jets 

Kurt leaned forward, trying to take in as much of Blaine’s voice as possible. He always forgot how wonderful it was, even if it was something he constantly thought about (subconsciously). As much as he hated to admit, his and Rachel’s voices did go quite well together. Blaine was so deeply immersed in the music that he seemed to be magnetic. His words drew Kurt in, and flooded him with emotion. His stupor was only broken when Rachel joined in, regardless of her talent. It just wasn’t the same. It couldn’t be. At some point throughout the 5-minute song, Kurt concluded that Blaine was the center of the universe, and everything revolved around him. No matter what shifted or burned out, he would always be there. Constantly, captivatingly, and eternally the most important presence there could ever and would ever be. 

When the song reached its final note, Kurt clapped the loudest and hardest. Rachel curtsied and flounced back to her seat, clearly thinking all of the praise was directed at her.

“You’re such a star. You astonish me.” Kurt breathed in Blaine’s ear, causing a rosy blush to bloom over his cheeks. He was too focused on the boy to notice Santana - all limbs crossed and unphased by the spectacularity of Blaine’s performance - squinting down at them. 

“We’re almost out of time, so we’ll have more of the groups perform tomorrow. Great work today!” Mr. Shue praised, before fading out to go deal with whatever the week’s teacher drama happened to be. Blaine retrieved his phone, and Kurt watched as he opened the Angry Birds app once more.

“Hey, dork. I bet I can get a higher score than you.” Kurt taunted jokingly. Pretty much everyone else was engulfed in their own conversations, and it wasn’t a particularly unusual challenge. Thus, Kurt thought nothing of the remark. Blaine grinned, and his eyes seemed to say “it’s on.”

“Oh my god.” Santana exclaimed. Kurt whipped around to see what she had spoken about, but realized she was looking directly at him. 

“Santana’s right,” Rachel scorned. “Why did you call him that? That’s a little rude, don’t you think?.” 

“There’s context that you’re missing, Rachel. Let it be.” Kurt huffed, turning back to Santana. She raised her eyebrows at him, and nodded her head towards Blaine.

“I’m gonna talk to you about this later, Hummel.” She said, emphasizing that later fully meant, “the second they got dismissed”. As if on cue, the bell for the end of after-school club period rang, and most of the club grabbed their belongings and left as if their lives depended on it. That left Santana, Kurt, and Blaine alone in the choir room. Blaine had no idea what was to transpire, but Kurt drove him home every evening after glee so he had no choice but to be present.

“Okay. What?” Kurt asked after a moment, feigning obliviousness. 

“Oh please, don’t act stupid. You know what’s going on.” Santana stood, and climbed down the risers to their level. “You told me that you have a soulmate at this school, you call him ‘dork’ on the phone, and suddenly you’re calling this guy ‘dork’ like it’s nothing. I’ve never even heard you use that word before yesterday!” The beauty of the telephone was that Kurt had managed to fill Blaine in about how he’d mentioned that he’d met his soulmate, so there was little confusion in the room. Nonetheless, Kurt feared that he’d accidentally hurt Blaine somehow. 

“Is it okay if I tell her?” Kurt asked Blaine. He nodded, and threaded his fingers through Kurt’s. He was oddly calm, which Kurt could almost feel when their left palms touched. 

“I’m all ears.”

“Santana, B is my soulmate. B... as in Blaine.” Kurt exhaled. Blaine squeezed his hand, and Kurt squeezed back. The brief silence in the room was deafening, until Santana spoke.

“I’m really happy for you guys. I know I’m kind of cynical, but it’s sweet.” Santana smiled. Kurt was taken aback by her unusually kind words, and Blaine seemed to have transcended entirely. 

“Wow, thanks.” Kurt replied. “Just… please don’t tell anybody. Rachel will throw a fit, no doubt, and if word gets out some members of the student body may not be so forgiving.” At that, Blaine squeezed his hand harder. 

“I totally get it. You know that. Does he… does he know about Britt and me?” Santana questioned.

“No.”

“Oh. Well, to put it plainly, Brittany and I are soulmates.” Santana explained. Blaine gasped, causing Kurt to giggle. “I do have one more question, though. Why don’t you talk?” Santana implored of Blaine.

“He has selective mutism. Do you know what that is?” Kurt stated plainly.

“Yeah, my little cousin has it,” Santana revealed. “That totally sucks. But hey, now I won’t try to dig up any dirt on you anymore! Great song today.” Santana rose from her seat, grabbed her bag, and exited the room. 

“Let’s go home.” Kurt said. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“So that was… something.” Blaine remarked on the car ride to his house.

“Yeah. I guess we aren’t that subtle if you know what to look for.” Kurt chuckled.

“I’m glad she knows. If anybody was going to use that against us it would be her, so telling her ourselves was definitely the way to go.” 

“What’s the deal with Rachel? She was coming onto you pretty hard today.” Kurt said suddenly.

“When we were choosing songs, I sang a few bars of Que Sera Sera. I guess this was some kind of emotional trigger for her, ‘cause after that she got this look in her eyes and started talking to me about love songs and her relationship with Finn. My eyes kind of glazed over around halfway through her monologue.” Blaine explained. 

“You talked to her?” 

“Nope. Just sang ‘que sera sera, whatever will be will be’ and she went off.” 

“I don’t blame her. I almost passed out during your song today because of how good it was. Only during your parts, though.” Kurt admitted.

“Thanks. Don’t tell Rachel that, she might kill you.” Blaine joked.

“‘Might’ is the understatement of the century.” 

“True. This seems like the point in our car ride where the conversation starts to get serious.” Blaine observed.

“I guess it can be.” Kurt considered. “Do you think you’d be able to talk at my house? I know you couldn’t last time, but…”

“I might be able to, I’m not sure until I’m there.” Blaine said.

“My dad asked me, that’s why I’m asking. He really wants to get to know you.” 

“This road is where we turn to get to my house instead of yours,” Blaine gestured to the street sign. “Why don’t we see now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, this chapter is not my favorite. I rewrote it like 4 times, but not much really happens. I'm going to put more important stuff in the next one, I promise.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Woah!   
> Warnings for this chapter:  
> Mention of homophobic violence (sadie hawkins dance), hospitals, bullying 
> 
> the chapter in which most is revealed!

Although he probably should’ve been used to them at that point, Kurt Hummel was not accustomed to surprises. Sure he’d turned left instead of right, towards his own home instead of Blaine’s, but that doesn’t mean he was fully prepared for whatever might occur. And sure, he’d gotten out of the car and escorted Blaine to the front door like a prince for his princess, but that was just polite, right? It’s not like he unlocked the door, let Blaine in, announced their presence (“we’re home, dad!”), and led him directly to the kitchen for the leftover cheesecake in the fridge - doing nothing to inform his dad that the aforementioned “we’re” was not him and Finn, but him and Blaine. No, he’d never do that. Thus, it was quite odd that Blaine was leaning against the counter eating said cheesecake while Burt watched The Deadliest Catch one room over in blissful ignorance. How did he get there? Who knows! Certainly not Kurt… 

“How is it?” Kurt asked, gesturing to the cheesecake. Blaine looked at Kurt like a deer caught in the headlights, as if he’d been asked for his entire life story. Kurt sighed, and grabbed his free hand. “I understand if you can’t talk. I really do.” 

“It’s…” Blaine croaked. “I…”

“Don’t hurt yourself. I know you wanted to do this, but it’s okay.” Kurt squeezed Blaine’s hand and gazed into his glassy eyes. Though it had weakened since their first connection, the pull was present and strong - a hand to hold in a bustling crowd. Kurt could hear Blaine’s deep, carefully timed breaths, though the roaring of the television muffled them somewhat. 

“I can.” Blaine whispered, setting down his plate. “I can do it. I need to. There’s a lot of things I have to...” His hands trembled, so Kurt reached for the other as well. “I’m… this is important… I need… for me.” 

“I know.” Kurt released his hands and rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder, despite the height difference. However, they neglected to notice the sound (or rather, lack of sound) of the TV shutting off, and Burt’s heavy footsteps.

“Hey Kurt, what are y-” Burt stopped in the doorframe at the sight of the spectacle. Kurt pulled away and looked up to see his dad, arms crossed.

“Hi, dad!” He grinned, a blush blossoming across his cheeks. Blaine giggled at the sight of Kurt’s embarrassment, and Kurt playfully slapped his arm. 

“Hello, Blaine. Kurt, I thought you were taking him home?” Burt asked.

“He wanted to see if he could talk here.” Kurt explained, placing a comforting hand on Blaine’s shoulder. Blaine took another deep breath and looked slightly past Burt. He was pale as a ghost, and gripping the countertop so hard that his knuckles were white. 

“Hello, Mr. Hummel. Thank you for having me.” Blaine said, his voice quivering. Burt’s eyes widened in surprise, and Kurt tightened his hold on Blaine. Despite the simplicity of the statement, everyone could feel the intensity of Blaine’s anxiety. He trembled against Kurt as if he were a leaf in the wind, and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. 

“Burt.” Kurt’s dad corrected.

“Wh… what?” Blaine whispered. Kurt pulled him closer and eyed his dad suspiciously.

“Call be Burt. It’s a pleasure to have you, Blaine.” Burt elaborated. Though his stress had not completely subsided, Blaine released the breath he’d been holding and gazed at Kurt. Kurt’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he returned the gaze and loosened his grip.

“We’re gonna go up to my room, dad.” Kurt stated.

“Door open!” Burt ordered as he left the kitchen to continue his show. After a moment, Kurt grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs into his room- a familiar location to Blaine- illuminated by the rosy glow of memories of the earlier months. Kurt closed the door until there was barely a crack, and bounded over to his bed.

“Come here.” He prompted, holding his arms open. Blaine fell into them, relaxing further. “I’m so proud of you.” Kurt whispered into Blaine’s shoulder. 

“I…” Blaine trailed off, pulling away. 

“Are you okay?” Kurt asked worriedly. He sat on the bed, and patted the spot next to him to prompt Blaine to follow suit. 

“Y...yeah. I am,” Blaine smiled lightly. “I’ve been working with my therapist on this… talking to your family. I know… I know it’s important to you, so it’s important to me too so I… wanted to. In the car… it wasn’t really a spur of the moment decision. Well, it was, but… I’d been thinking about it for a while.” Blaine’s arms crossed over his chest as he fought through the words, and Kurt thought he might cry at the sight of his guileless vulnerability. 

“Oh.” 

“Oh.” Blaine repeated, almost teasingly. “She also said that I should… tell you why I… why I have this. You’ve been so good about not… bothering me… I feel like I owe it to you.” 

“You don’t owe anything to me. Are you sure you don’t want to do this somewhere easier, like your house?” Kurt looked at Blaine inquisitively, who glanced away in turn.

“I think… I mean… I have adrenaline from talking to your dad. If I don’t do it now… I don’t know if I ever will.” Blaine chuckled slightly.

“Okay. I’m listening.” Kurt replied. Though he was concerned for Blaine’s well-being, the admittedly selfish part of him was thrilled to hear what was going on. 

“Alright,” Blaine took a deep breath. “Before this year, I was at a different school, and we lived in Westerville. Obviously, you know that. Um… freshman year, I was a pretty happy kid. I was loud and excitable constantly, like, bouncing around like a bobblehead all the time.”

“Like when you sing?” Kurt interjected.

“Yeah, exactly. My mom said I was ‘full of sunshine’. The whole soulmate thing was hardly a blip on my radar at 14, though a lot changed when I turned 15. At some point, I realized that my soulmate was going to be a boy, and that made it feel a whole lot more important. I came out to my parents and brother, and they took it alright, but my dad wasn’t thrilled. That didn’t change much, though. He just made me rebuild a car which I didn’t enjoy very much, ‘cause it got my capris dirty.” Blaine paused for a moment, “that was a joke, Kurt.” 

“Oh, sorry.” 

“No, I wasn’t clear. Anyways, we had a Sadie Hawkins dance. And I knew this guy wasn’t my soulmate, but I asked him to go with me, just for fun, since he was the only other out gay kid in my grade that I knew. We had fun, but when we were waiting for his dad to pick us up and these guys… they beat the shit out of us. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks.” 

“Oh my god.” Kurt gasped.

“That’s not even the worst part. I started having some trouble with anxiety after that- enough to get me a Severe Generalized Anxiety Disorder diagnosis- but nothing like it is now. I was still pretty sociable, I made a solid group of friends. Or, so I thought. I um… I turned 16 Sophomore year, and I waited my two weeks, and your name showed up. I was thrilled, I cried for like an hour straight out of pure elation.” 

“Awww.” Kurt preened. Blaine blushed slightly.

“I came to school the next day and showed all of my friends, because that’s what you do. They were all so happy for me, and I kept dreaming about meeting you. And then um… one day…” Blaine stopped and grimaced.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me, I-” Kurt attempted to comfort Blaine.

“No. This is important. I need to tell someone other than my family and therapist. Okay. This guy who I’d seen talking to my friends a few times and who sat behind me in Spanish came up to me and told me…” Blaine paused once again to take a breath. “He told me that he was you. He opened his hand and there was my name in navy blue, which I liked well enough to figure that it was my favorite color. It was in my handwriting too, how it’s supposed to be. I truly thought that was the happiest day of my life at the time. He told me he’d wanted to talk to me so many times, but had just worked up the nerve to do it. Now picture me, this nervous gay kid whose main goal at that point was to not die from internal bleeding, hearing this. We started hanging out all the time, going on dates and stuff. I told him everything about me, because I thought we were going to be together for life. I never noticed the way he looked at me or anything ‘cause I was so fixated on how I felt about him. It turns out that it’s really easy to convince yourself that you’ve connected to someone when you really haven’t when you don’t know what connecting really feels like. I was like, ‘yeah, I guess I feel drawn to him’. Trust me when I say that I felt about one-one millionth of what I feel for you for him.”

“You don’t have to reassure me. I know.” Kurt said quickly, focused on Blaine’s story. 

“Thanks. One day we were at a restaurant and I kissed him, which I guess he liked well enough. But then I… I told him I loved him. He looked at me with this evil look in his eyes and he… laughed. He laughed, and it was so terrible, and he stood up in the crowded restaurant and he yelled… he said, ‘you’re such an idiot, Blaine. Did you really think we were soulmates? That I loved you and we were going to ride off into the sunset singing _Fernando_ together? I drew that mark on with makeup as a joke.’ And then… um… he took off his stupid glove and there was some guy named Charles’ name instead of mine. I started mumbling a whole bunch of stuff, and he told me to shut up. I couldn’t take it, I just... shut down. My eyes glazed over and I started having an anxiety attack or microseizure or something, and then I passed out.” 

“Oh my god.” Kurt whispered again.

“It turns out that some of my so-called-friends were in the restaurant to watch how things played out and they were laughing at me at first, but they eventually called 911 after they realized I wasn’t ‘just taking a moment’. I woke up at the hospital and had a major panic attack when the doctor came in to check on me and asked how I was doing. I was terrified of answering wrong, and I was getting major flashbacks to my last hospital visit. I got released after a week with a diagnosis from a psychiatrist and irreversible trauma, but I couldn’t go back to school. The risk of seeing anybody involved made it so I only left the house twice in the month before we moved here, and both were to go to the doctor which I was not allowed to say ‘no’ to. So... I transferred here. I don’t handwrite anything, and I never tell people my name.” Blaine finished explaining, and Kurt immediately pulled him into another embrace. Neither worried about the tears staining their clothes. Everything finally made sense to Kurt, in the worst way possible. The puzzle was almost finished, but the pieces were mangled and sharp.

“Oh my god.” Kurt whispered again. His heart throbbed in pain for Blaine, and he suddenly felt unworthy of his love. What would cause someone like him to be the one for Blaine -who would probably need the most perfect man in the entire universe as his soulmate to make up for what he’d gone through- to deserve him? 

“Can I ask some questions?” Kurt asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Okay. What was the note you handed to our teacher when you first came to school? What did you think when you first met me for real?” Kurt listed.  
“Um, well... I give my teachers a note telling them that I can’t talk due to selective mutism, I have to type my assignments, and that my name will not be used under any circumstances. Next one: when I first met you, I thought you were incredible. It was really scary for me to feel that way, since the last time I felt attraction… well, you know. When our teacher said your name I thought I was going to die on the spot. I only waited so long to tell you because I wanted to make sure that it was real this time, that I wasn’t… and then we got assigned as partners, and I got to know you… I knew it was okay. What I feel when I’m around you is entirely different than what I felt around him, like I said.”

“I love you so much.” Kurt muttered in awe.

“I love you too, so much.” They sat for a moment, draped over each other and sniffly. 

“I don’t think I can drive you home tonight.” Kurt sighed. 

“Oh well, what a shame!” Blaine sighed exaggeratedly. They burst out laughing, and fell back in cachinnation driven entirely by the absolute intensity of the prior moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2254 Words of Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is appreciated!


End file.
